Ford will issue software update to address 'ear piercing' noises coming from speakers on these models

If you're hearing weird noises coming from your F-150 truck, you are not alone. 

Ford has received approximately 100 complaints from customers with 2022 F-150 trucks, reporting loud and annoying noises coming from speakers that sound like static, or glass shattering and can’t be turned off, CNN Business reported.

Multiple vehicle owners characterized the noise heard as ear piercing, the Wall Street Journal reported. For some, the noise continued even after the car was turned off. For those who recorded the severity of the sound on their Apple watches, the noise clocked in at about 109 decibels, or dBA.

To give some perspective, the decibel rating for a sports event usually lies anywhere between 94 to 110 decibels, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Prolonged exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has received multiple complaints from vehicle owners and will continue to closely monitor the situation and take action, if necessary, a spokesperson shared with CNN Business.

Potentially affected vehicles include the 2021-2023 models of the Ford Expedition, the 2022 F-150 Lightning and both hybrid and gas versions of 2021 –2023 F-150 trucks, Ford spokesperson Maria Buczkowski shared with USA Today. 

Instead of recalling the affected models, Ford will issue a software update to address the issues. 

“We know it may be startling and frustrating for customers who have had the problem, but, based on what we’ve analyzed to this point, we don’t believe it rises to the level of a recallable safety defect,” Ford told CNN Business. 

The software update will mute unwanted sound coming from the amplifier by making the amplifier the filter so it can prevent unwanted noise from coming through the speaker, Buczkowski shared. 

The software update, which was made available July 18, can be obtained by customers at their dealership. 

“We'll be distributing an over-the-air software update to all potentially affected vehicles in the coming weeks,” Buczkowski wrote.

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