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Hi all. I am new to the Ford Trucks forum (1st post) but I've read through here plenty in the past. If this is the wrong place for this question, please feel free to move it.
My 6.7L 2012 F250 XLT suffered some electronic damage last weekend when lightning struck a nearby tree. The PCM, DEF sensor, and at least 5 other sensors were damaged and the truck would not start.
The truck was about 30 feet from the tree, so it was not a direct strike. No external damage whatsover. My uncle's RV was located about 10 feet further away from the tree, past my truck and he had damaged electronics as well. I have read that the electromagnetic effects of lightning can damage electronics without electrical current similar to an EMP, but since I couldn't see the truck during the strike (I was only about 50 feet away, but the RV blocked my view. Loudest sound ever. Louder than artillery) I can't know for sure that it wasn't "ground current" as the charge spread from the tree across the ground and potentially arched through the truck.
I've got insurance handling it and hopefully we will be up and running soon. My question is: what kind of issues am I looking at down the road? Am I at heightened risk of electronics failure in the future? If so, is it likely to occur soon (when insurance would probably agree it is connected to the strike) or will I be dealing with this 5 years from now? I love this truck like a pet (it was my deployment gift to myself), but I need to know whether this is worth seeing through or if I should be looking to trade it in at a substantial loss. I know lightning damage isn't a common occurrence, but surely others have had overloaded systems from power lines or faulty wiring - any ideas?
Because I know "pics or it didn't happen," here is a pic of the tree that was struck with my truck parked where it was during the strike:
That tree used to be taller than the others around it. It is about 8-10 inches in diameter. The bolt felled it. I removed my uncle's face in case he's in witsec or otherwise doesn't want internet fame.
Tough to tell because you will never really "know" all the damage that it did. I would have it checked over by Ford for anything that's gonna be wrong with it though and have them replace everything that's wrong. There was a guy on here that had his truck struck by lightning and he was never able to get it right. They were replacing things left and right, but couldn't figure out what was wrong. Hopefully yours isn't the same case, but be very thorough brother. Most importantly keep us updated!
That's what I'm afraid of. It is at the Ford dealership, I was adamant about it going there vs Pep Boys, etc. The insurance appraiser will see it tomorrow. Does anyone know of something I should be asking about? Anything that commonly fails following an electrical incident?
Anything and Everything electrical could fail is the answer to what commonly fails during an electrical incident. There is a youtube out of a truck that got hit by lightning when it was driving, welded doors shut, and set off the airbags...
If they find even ONE fried wire I would be worried they are more hidden. I would want the entire wiring harness and sub-harnesses changed - and all the computer modules. If sensors failed/fried, to me, this is like a flood vehicle. You could have electrical issues forever.
I now how you feel - but if multiple things are wrong already like you say, I would be pushing the insurance company (and the Ford dealer to help with this) to total it out.
If it was my truck and I couldn't get it totaled, I would be looking to trade it as soon as possible. I don't know where you are, but you should be able to get a "diminished loss of value" adjustment in addition to repairs as part of your claim as well. That should help with some of your trade-in loss...
First off, automotive electronics is already somewhat hardened but not necessarily against EMP from a lightning strike. I would have the dealer replace the bad modules already identified and from there they should run as many diagnostic tests that they can on every system on the truck. Run your heat and AC controls through their full ranges as they use stepper motors and special control circuitry. Same holds true for the drive by wire system. There is an awful lot to test and check off the list. I can't see it being done in less than a full day.
Long term it's all just speculation. I did have to fix a Sprinter van after a lighting hit last year though. Every module in the van was fried (about 15 control units) plus five or six sensors and one disintegrated radio antenna. Fixed what was smoked, hasn't been back yet for any other electrical problems.
I really appreciate all this info. I just got my adjuster's out of office email reply so I doubt I'll be hearing back before next week, but I'm anxious to see what their verdict is as far as fix vs replace.
When (if) I get my truck back to Texas (this all happened in Florida) I will take it to my local trusted shop to have them test all the electronics. Might not help, but I know it can't hurt.
In the electronics industry the damage is called electrical over-stress. What didn't failed during the event has had it's life shortened. All that can really be said is that the probability of future failure has gone way up.
I doubt there is damage to the actual copper wiring. There are protection devices on the inputs of every circuit of every module. Some are damaged and won't protect anything anymore.
The good news is that all the various modules have built in self test capabilities and can find and report problems.
I would seriously consider sale/trade if you can, unfortunately it's not cheap to swap trucks. Good luck with insurance co.
Bet y'all thought I forgot about you! Well, I did, but I got my truck back yesterday (yes, it took 7 weeks for approval, repair, and transport, and yes, it sucked and affected much more of my life than anticipated) and remembered I owed an update.
Turned out to be 7 sensors total, although they replaced some merely out of caution. No damage whatsoever to the wiring, just end components. Runs great now and I will wait to have further issues before considering trading it. Insurance confirms that if I have electrical/electronic problems in the near future I will have a presumption that it's related and will not have a new deductible.
Speaking of insurance, they covered a rental pickup truck for the past 7 weeks (although it was a Dodge, so that barely counts. Kidding!), and shipped the truck to me at a much higher cost than if they'd just flown me to Florida to get it and paid for my return trip. They also covered the difference in time I had my uhaul trailer rented, which was only a day but was greatly appreciated. I will be doing business with these guys for a long time based on how they treated me here.
I had my local autoshop look it over top to bottom looking for anything the dealership might have missed, and they found nothing. Still not a guarantee that a sensor won't die prematurely, but it's some peace of mind at least.
Just wanted to thank all who contributed and give an end to the story for anyone who finds this thread later.
Bet y'all thought I forgot about you! Well, I did, but I got my truck back yesterday (yes, it took 7 weeks for approval, repair, and transport, and yes, it sucked and affected much more of my life than anticipated) and remembered I owed an update.
Turned out to be 7 sensors total, although they replaced some merely out of caution. No damage whatsoever to the wiring, just end components. Runs great now and I will wait to have further issues before considering trading it. Insurance confirms that if I have electrical/electronic problems in the near future I will have a presumption that it's related and will not have a new deductible.
Speaking of insurance, they covered a rental pickup truck for the past 7 weeks (although it was a Dodge, so that barely counts. Kidding!), and shipped the truck to me at a much higher cost than if they'd just flown me to Florida to get it and paid for my return trip. They also covered the difference in time I had my uhaul trailer rented, which was only a day but was greatly appreciated. I will be doing business with these guys for a long time based on how they treated me here.
I had my local autoshop look it over top to bottom looking for anything the dealership might have missed, and they found nothing. Still not a guarantee that a sensor won't die prematurely, but it's some peace of mind at least.
Just wanted to thank all who contributed and give an end to the story for anyone who finds this thread later.
Great news overall. Sounds like you were taken care of pretty well.
Which insurance company?
