Late model Ford F-150 pickup trucks and Expedition SUVs are inexplicably emitting loud static through their speakers, leading Ford to develop a software fix to prevent what owners have dubbed the “sonic boom.” The issue cropped up nearly a year ago, according to the Wall Street Journal, though Ford has yet to pinpoint the specific cause of the mysterious sound.
Dozens of owners have reported suffering through dangerously loud static to federal regulators, while Ford has reportedly received about 100 complaints of the issue, most of these involving the 2022 F-150. But the sound system defect has surfaced in the 2021-2023 Ford F-150, 2021-2023 Ford Expedition, as well as the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning EV pickup.
Owners describe the static as “ear-piercing,” and go on to say it’s frighteningly loud. The sound seems to occur unprompted, which has caught some drivers off guard, forcing them to pull over and stop driving. Some Ford owners report being able to turn off the sound easily, while others say it lasted for “15 minutes or more” and persisted despite them having turned off their trucks or SUVs. Per the Wall Street Journal:
Phil Floraday was driving his F-150 pickup last fall when his truck’s audio system suddenly emitted a loud, crashing sound that, to him, resembled glass shattering, and then blaring static.
His ears rang for days after the event, he said.
“My first thought was one of the neighbors must’ve hit a golf ball that went through a window because that’s what it sounded like,” said Floraday, who took delivery of the 2022-model-year truck last summer.
Ford says the defect is related to the power amplifier in the affected vehicles’ sound systems. The automaker has issued a technical service bulletin covering the F-150, F-150 Lightning and Expedition, which states that owners can bring in their vehicles to local dealers where technicians will push a software fix that uses the same amplifier to filter out the static to prevent the unwanted speaker noise. The software patch is also avaialble as an over-the-air (OTA) fix.
Ford declined to tell WSJ the number of vehicles affected, but the U.S. auto giant says the problem isn’t big enough to prompt a recall. The issue does seem, however, to pose a health hazard: one owner reported having measured a 109 decibel spike due to the static, while others report the noise can exceed 100 decibels in the cabin. That’s as loud as a sports event, according to the CDC.
For reference, prolonged exposure to anything over 85 decibels can cause hearing loss. That means only a few minutes of exposure to the F-150’s “sonic boom” are considered safe before the risk of hearing loss can set in.
