Lemberg Law is investigating complaints that the 2022 Ford F-150 has a major issue with the sound system. Numerous F-150 owners report that deafening pops and booms emanate from the audio system together with excessively loud crackling static sounds. Some complain about severe earache as a result.
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The volume of complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), forums, and social media platforms including Reddit, indicate that deafening audio problems with the Ford F-150 are not isolated incidents. Owner descriptions of what happens are incredibly similar, and many say it is a recurring, ongoing problem. Some complaints give more detail than others.
Between September 5 and October 4, 2022, there have been 10 complaints about deafening audio sounds and loud static to the NHTSA alone. These cover incidents that happened in various states between July 25 and October 4. They are listed under Electrical System, Equipment, and Unknown or Other categories on the NHTSA website.
There are many, many more complaints on other platforms.
Ford F-150 owners are experiencing loud, sometimes explosive sounds emerging from their sound systems. Those that specify a particular system mention B&O Unleashed. Some have had it happen more than once.
Many complaints talk about popping sounds while others say there is a big boom followed by crackling sounds. Either way, they say it sounds like an explosion, and the crackles are clearly static.
A typical comment on a forum from an owner in Colorado states: “This is a serious safety issue! (It) does sound exactly like an explosion followed by static, then off. (The) screen is black.”
Another comment from an owner in Canada says: “Almost like the sound cannons police have for crowd control. I had to disconnect the battery. Nothing else would make it stop. Had this happened while driving it very well could have been a disaster.”
There are also people who are reporting injuries. Another forum member states: “My ears rang for 3 days after this happened and I don’t want to go through it again! I’ve owned so many Ford vehicles and this is such a disappointing experience!”
An owner who has experienced these issues 3 times in 8 months is also frustrated. “Unfortunately a lawyer will probably be the only way to get their attention. Shocking because this is a safety issue.” He adds: “The problem is Ford is not taking any action with this. You won’t believe the run around you’re going to get. They don’t view it as a safety issue and are of no help (in) resolving this issue. Tried calling Ford customer service, wow, what a joke.”
Here are a few examples of complaints from 2022 Ford F-150 owners who have experienced deafening audio issues.
The first complaint was made in September 2022 by a Ford F-150 in Maryland.
“After starting the vehicle, I heard a loud pop and then loud static that couldn’t be turned off. The sound is very deafening and hazardous to babies with developing ears. Has happened twice already in the past week.”
An owner from Texas reports an injury. He describes “a sonic boom explosion of noise from the radio/speakers followed by very loud static. I would estimate the dB level to be 150 plus. Left my ears ringing for hours followed by aching and there has to be some permanent damage.”
The most recent NHTSA complaint, filed on October 4, is from a retired licensed professional engineer with more than 50 years of engineering and safety experience.
“I was stopped at a red light when an extremely loud pop and deafening noise ‘exploded’ in the truck cabin. If I had been driving at the time, the sudden and extreme noise could have caused me to react in a way to lose control of the vehicle.”
He goes on to say that “Two hours after the incident my ears are still ringing, and I have a severe headache.”
It’s essentially the same complaint over and over again. And Ford doesn’t seem to be able to solve the problem.
An owner from Minnesota, whose experience is much the same as everyone else’s says: “It was physically painful to both me and my passenger, and left our ears ringing for days. The dealership does not acknowledge that anything is wrong.”
Additionally, “Ford has not acknowledged its existence, but this is a safety hazard as it can cause serious hearing damage.”
There are numerous discussions and complaints on both the F150Gen4 Forum and the FordRaptor Forum. Here are examples of just two of many.
The earliest forum thread we have tracked down is on the F150Gen4 forum. It dates back to March 5, 2022, long before the first NHTSA complaints, and contains comments through September. Titled Dangerous B&O sound system issue, it comprises 8 pages of comments.
It starts with a description of how the CarPlay system “went crazy and started blaring a horrible sound at full volume.” When the noise didn’t respond to the controls, the driver, Brad-C, pulled over and shut off the truck. That didn’t help, so he drove home with “ears plugged and steering with my knee as much as possible.” After disconnecting the battery, the noise stopped. But as he left the driveway, it started again.
“I can’t tell you how loud it was – like military crowd control loud.”
Considering it a “serious safety issue,” he took the F-150 to his Ford dealer. He was told that if it happened again, “to just pull the amp fuse and not disconnect the battery so they might be able to diagnose it.”
Subsequently, Ford told him not to disconnect the battery if it happened again “because it resets everything and they couldn’t do any meaningful diagnostics on it. They said to pull the fuse for the amplifier, presuming that the problem is with something driving the amp and not the amp itself. That way it would be drivable but technically still exhibiting the issue.”
Brad-C reported back to the forum on April 11 saying that Ford eventually extended the factory warranty “as a courtesy.”
He went on to offer others with the same issue as much advice as possible. “This is going to cause a wreck for someone if the problem persists,” he says.
Another thread on the F150Gen4 forum, launched in late March, is titled Extremely loud electrical sound POP followed by loud static. First, there was a loud POP through the speakers, which was followed by loud static. “The initial pop was loud enough that I thought somehow (the) windows had shattered, and 4 hours later my left ear is still ringing.”
The driver, from Texas, hadn’t touched any controls when it happened. The static wouldn’t stop and he couldn’t play music. Switching off the truck for about 30 minutes eventually stopped the static.
He got a response in the forum from Ford Motor Company.
“Hi there! Would you send us a private message with your VIN and dealership name and location? I’d like to look into this concern on my end.”
Ford reached out to several others in this thread, but not all of them.
Another response from them is worded: “This noise concern doesn’t sound like something we want you to experience with your F-150. Could you please send us a PM with your VIN and the name and location of your Ford dealer? I’d be happy to look into how I can assist you on my end.”
It’s not clear whether Ford provided any answers. As one forum member stated on September 29, 2022: “They will gather all your information and promise to get back to you, but they never do.”
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Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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My wife and I had just arrived home after doing a few errands around town and as we pulled into our driveway we were both SHOCKED by the explosive pop followed by insanely loud hissing noise coming from our 2022 Ford F150 lariat . We both were extremely frightened by this unexpected noise and tried to duck down slamming my head into the steering wheel and my wife hit her head on the dashboard and gearshift. This is such an unbelievable experience. We really love the truck, but now we’re afraid to drive it.
Dec 16 2003. Same problem as soon as I started my 2023 f150 xlt the sound was deafening. Unfortunately I had to drive 20 minutes to work listening to this. I couldn’t turn the volume down and the radio would not shut off. What the
Happened again for the 4th time now.. also think my speakers are now permanently damaged .. recorded this again and will be going to the dealer again !! FORD WHAT IS THE FIX ??? enough is enough already
87k piece of junk
I had this stereo loud boom popping issue for the first time yesterday 10/29/23 on my 2022 Platinum F-150. As soon as I turned on the vehicle this happened, thought lightning had struck or something similar.
Same problem just happened today! 2022 F150 XLT 8,900 miles. Loud pop when starting up truck and then loud static to the point I drove right to the dealer. Static continued even after truck completely shut down. Only way to get it to stop was to disconnect the battery!
I have a 2022 f-150 Xlt with the 302 package and my radio does the same thing but also my screen will freeze up and then restart itself Ford needs to fix this asap. Just took a 3 1/2 hour trip with my screen freezing at least 3 times and my radio making that buzzing sound too many times to even count anymore.
I have a 2022 f150 with the B&O. This happened all the time. I only listen to music through android auto. It randomly goes to loud static and crackling then freezes and reboots. Sometimes while driving and more often when switching to park.
The same thing happened to us yesterday with our 2022 f150 lariat powerboost. My husband turned on the ignition and the sound described above went off almost immediately – our three kids were with us and it was terrifying for them. We got them out right away but all were so shaken up. Eventually the sound stopped and we were all very nervous to get back in the car. Headaches and ear ringing later on too. We now have an 18 hour drive ahead of us to get back home and we are very anxious, to say the least, about putting our family back in the car.
I have a 2018 F150 STX. Truck had been sitting for a few days due to I work 24 hour shifts. When I pulled up in other vehicle, I immediately heard what sounded like fire crackers going off in my truck or pop corn popping. Unlocked it sound sounded like coming from speaker in drive door. About every 10 or 2o seconds it happened. Started truck turned off stereo still happens turn truck off still happens? Been going on since I got here last night so I disconnected battery. I don’t know how long exactly it’s been going on as I’ve not been here for 4 days
Started my 2022 f150 lariat this morning horrific static popping noise that made me think the vehicle was about to catch fire or explode. Turned vehicle off & got out quickly. Started it again and did the same thing for about 10 seconds & then stopped. The volume on raiding wouldn’t work or phone. Stopped making the noise 3rd time I started it and everything worked. Call dealer and they had not heard of the problem, but to let them know if anymore issues. Vehicle has approximately 12k miles
I had the same thing happen in my 2022 platinum in June. It did the same loud boom then the sound of crackling glass and the screen went black. Luckily I wasn’t driving when it happened. I had just started the engine. My husband thought I had lost my mind when I told him about it.
This happened to me on July 7, 23! I thought someone was shooting at me. I took cover! When I realized that glass wasn’t broken, I pulled over to inspect the outside of the truck. No damage there. Finally realized something in the speakers was going crazy.
Dealing with the same problem as described above. 2033 f150 xlt, 5.0, with 8 speaker B&O speaker system. Thankfully this issue has not occurred while driving, yet, or it could become a serious safety concern. Ford needs to fix this issue before someone gets hurt
2022 F-150 Hybrid has all the same issues as mention above. I was able to make it stop by changing my source. I believe it has something to do with the XM but not 100% sure. Hasn’t happened on other sources yet. I also have to turn radio off after every drive so as radio is not on when I start my truck thus no loud sounds like alarm going off or static popping when I start vehicle . I also notice strange timing to beat of music at times and unwarranted change in volume at times on XM or streaming Pandora. Really frustrating when you pay so much for top of the line and there is a Big problem you feel unsafe to drive.
My wife called me today and told told me that my 2022 ford f150 raptor sounded like it exploded and scared my three kids that my eight year old ran out the truck and my three year and two month old kids were screaming and terrified. She said it sounded like an explosion and then really loud static from the speakers. She did not drive it. I called the dealer but service is closed till Monday. I really hope they can fix that issue. I can only imagine if that happens while I’m driving my family. It can cause an accident and someone can get hurt.
I’ve experienced 2 sonic booms in my 2022 F-150. One while driving and it scared me so bad I almost lost a life, and almost put it into a ravine on a KY back road. Accompanying the loud boom, the entire display went dark and the audio system stopped working. The 2nd while waiting at the local Pizza store, this time the screen didn’t go dark, but the entire sound system stopped working. Navigation speech gone, phone conversation gone, etc. I’ve been driving a Ford for 38 years and this is the most disappointed I’ve been in the F-150.
I’m very disappointed of the sound system of my 2022 Ford F150 Lariat 2022, no quality at all for a pickup of that price. I had to order the truck at the dealer, waited 4 months to get it. Couldn’t try one because none available in the parking lot to try at the time.
The sound system is lousy and the suspension is way to stiff for a Lariat. My 2012 f150 XLT was much better, sound and suspension and very quite. They say rides like a CADILLAC and that was the case with my XLT 2012
I said to myself one day I’m going to buy a nice Lariat before I die and I did at 66 years old and I regret it big time. $78,000 later and I’m not a very happy Customer.
I have better Sound system in my 2017 Toyota Corolla and it rides better. 🥴
I have 6 1/2 foot box crew cab long wheel base lariat and it should ride lot better than that. That’s my fifth Ford Pickup truck and that’s the worst one I owned so far. It’s too bad because I like the Ford Pickup
Thank You
Jean-Luc
Same issue as all the above on two separate F-150s (Platinum and Raptor). While the Loud pop and static was the most common, recently I had the speakers make the loudest screeching noise I’ve ever heard. 3 hours later and my ears are still ringing. The noise was so loud it was heard inside my house.
I have the same thing happening with my 2022 Lariat. Already been to the dealer 2 times, have apt for the 3rd time that I just made. So frustrating because it has not done it for the techs.
Yep. I have the same thing. Have a video and two witnesses. I’m in Canada and headed to the dealer now. I’ll give an update soon.
We’ve had the same issue with our 2022 Ford Expedition Max. We’ve only had it since January and it’s already done it about 3 times. It’s that same very loud gun shot bang with extremely loud static that everyone else is describing. The first couple of times it happened, we were able to turn off the vehicle and then when we turn it back on it was fine. But It just happened again today and we could not get it to stop. We tried turning off the vehicle and turning it back on, tried turning off the radio, switching it from sync to other options, and nothing will turn it off. It caused us to be late for work, and the immense ringing of the ears after is not fun. We called the dealer, but there’s nothing they can do till we take it. Such a disappointment to spend so much money on a luxury vehicle to just continue to have these kind of problems.
I also have had the loud boom on my 2022 F150 with the B&O unleashed with static and crackling as well. Ears in pain for 2 hours following. My dog was panicked as well. I’ve taken in before for just the boom and they reset all modules. Obviously it’s back and worse. Thankfully I got it on video!
I have a F-150 with the B&O system. Sound is awful and crazy loud. I can’t even make phone calls sometimes. But I haven’t reached out to dealer yet.
I have video with sound of this insanely loud noise .. this isn’t acceptable. My kids were in the car and are now telling me they don’t want to go back in my truck ever. Ford needs to step up to the plate.
We have a 2022 Expedition that did this last week while on vacation in Gatlinburg. I started the engine and there was this horrific noise for probably 10 seconds and then it just quit. Today, my wife was leaving Wal-Mart and it did this and she could not get it to stop except to turn of motor and open door. After numerous attempts with this it has stopped for the time being. We have a trip planned tomorrow and are really nervous about this.
2022 F150 with B&O Unleashed, Today heard an LOUD explosive sound , sounding like a shot out a window or blown tire, very loud. Then loud uncontrolled static from all the speakers, drove directly to the dealer, the service rep heard the static with the truck sitting off. A few hours later the Tech went to the truck, and it had stopped , as many have reported it will, after it completely shuts down. Appears to be no fix?? The LOUD bang was very distracting and shocking and could have been a danger in traffic.
Same problem, 6k on my F150 Platinum Powerboost. 4 times now….. .My question is: What is Ford Doing about it? Appears Dealers are clueless on a fix.
My 2021 Ford F-150 with the BO stereo just did the same thing. Crazy loud po lol followed by static
We are definitely dealing with loud popping and machine gun noises in our 2022 F150. Has happened twice while driving. The sound emitted by the stereo is definitely deafening, painful, and dangerous. I had searched the internet and this is by far the only thing I was able to find in relation to this stereo issue.