A rival business has offered to fix 146 Ford F-150 Lightning EVs with faulty charging systems limited to slow overnight charges, after the company responsible for importing them to Australia collapsed.
A rival right-hand-drive conversion firm will rescue owners of recalled Ford F-150 Lightning electric pick-ups sold in Australia by a company that went bust last month.
However, customers may be left out of pocket for the repairs, as it has been cautioned that the company that has offered to perform them “did not design or modify” the electric pick-ups for sale in the first place.
AusEV, the Queensland-based business importing F-150 Lightning into Australia for conversion from left- to right-hand drive – and sale to the public – went into receivership on 17 March after Ford pulled the plug on the electric pick-up in the US.
MORE: Ford F-150 Lightning remanufacturer AusEV goes under
The conversion and distribution of the electric pick-ups was unrelated to ‘remanufactured’ petrol-powered F-150s sold in official showrooms by Ford Australia, and did not have the backing of the US car giant’s five-year factory warranty.
Days after AusEV went under, a recall notice was posted to the Department of Infrastructure website for a fault with 146 F-150 Lightnings’ DC fast-charging system, which could cause the pins in the plug to burn owners if touched shortly after charging is stopped.
Owners were directed to AusEV’s no-longer-functioning website, and phone numbers and email addresses available for the company on the Internet went to voicemail and bounced back, respectively.
In the meantime, owners were directed to only charge their vehicles on AC power – something that, on a household power outlet, could take up to four days to complete.
On 30 March, the recall notice – originally published 24 March – was updated to direct customers to Performax, another Queensland-based firm which independently converts US pick-ups to right-hand drive.
However, the updated recall notice says Performax “did not design or modify these vehicles or supply them to the Australian market.
“In the interests of public safety Performax has offered their services to rectify vehicles affected by this recall. A cost may be incurred for these repairs.”
It urges owners of affected vehicles to contact the firm to schedule an appointment to have their vehicle inspected, and rectification carried out, by emailing warranty@performax.com.au.
| Date of recall notice | 24 March 2026 |
| Make | Ford |
| Model | F-150 Lightning |
| Year | 2022 – 2025 |
| Vehicles affected | 146 |
| VIN list | Click here to download the list of affected VINs |
| Contact link | Click here to contact the manufacturer |
The recall notice, lodged with the Department of Infrastructure, says in relation to the fault: “Vehicles that are fitted with a Combined Charging System (CCS2) charge port may experience increased electrical resistance during high-power Direct Current (DC) fast charging causing the internal charging pins to overheat.
“Please avoid charging the vehicle using DC fast chargers. Use AC (Alternating Current) charging instead.
“If a person makes direct contact with the overheated charge port pins immediately after a charging session, there is a risk of burns or serious injury.”
A full list of vehicle identification numbers for the 146 vehicles involved in the recall can be found here.
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