BTS installation guide · 2021–2023 Ford F-150

Install your SS5 CrossLink grille lightbar

A practical guide to the five-pod kit: vehicle access, brackets, curved-bar assembly, controls and backlight setup.

For DD7317, DD7318, DD7321 and DD7322 on a 2021–2023 F-150 with the original grille and bumper, excluding Raptor. This guide follows the five-pod installation; the separate two-pod bumper-kit branch is not used.

Before starting

Diode Dynamics estimates approximately 1–2 hours for the vehicle installation. Read through the wiring route and identify your exact harness before beginning. Work with the vehicle and lighting power off, and follow the included harness instructions for safe electrical connections.

Tools for the F-150 work

  • Plastic trim-removal tool and ratchet
  • 7mm, 8mm, 10mm and 13mm sockets
  • 5mm Allen wrench
  • Wire strippers and suitable crimping tool
  • The tools and hardware specified with your CrossLink assembly

Check the kit and controls

Use the matching Sport or Pro harnesses supplied with the kit. Factory aux control uses separate circuits for the main beam and backlight. Trucks without factory aux switches use the included toggle-switch adapter.

The lightbar can partially obstruct the front camera. Check the manufacturer’s camera-view example before fitting.

Official Diode Dynamics installation video. Follow the five-pod CrossLink route for this kit.

Install the five-pod kit

Step 1

Release the fender-liner edges

With a 7mm socket, remove the two screws joining the fender liner to the upper bumper valance. Pull the sides of the valance free at the wheel opening.

Marked fender-liner screws and the edge of the bumper valance.
Marked fender-liner screws and the edge of the bumper valance. View full size

Step 2

Remove the upper bumper valance

Repeat on the other side. Release the valance tabs from the outer ends toward the centre, then lift the valance away.

Release the upper bumper valance from the outer edges toward the centre.
Release the upper bumper valance from the outer edges toward the centre. View full size

Step 3

Lift off the radiator-support trim

Remove the thirteen tree clips holding the radiator-support trim panel, then remove the panel.

The radiator-support trim clips to remove.
The radiator-support trim clips to remove. View full size

Step 4

Disconnect the grille-area harnesses

Unplug the harness connectors near the hood latch. Release the clip that holds the harness to the grille.

Harness connectors and retaining clip near the hood latch.
Harness connectors and retaining clip near the hood latch. View full size

Step 5

Remove the grille fasteners

Remove the four upper grille screws with a 10mm socket. Remove the two lower screws beside the headlamp screws with an 8mm socket.

Upper grille fastener locations.
Upper grille fastener locations. View full size
Lower grille fastener locations.
Lower grille fastener locations. View full size

Step 6

Remove the grille

Pull the grille firmly forward, away from the radiator, to release and remove it.

Step 7

Install the vehicle brackets

Remove the two 13mm bolts behind the bumper at each mounting location and fit the new grille brackets using those holes.

Keep each factory bolt in its original position. The outer silver bolt secures the strut and is longer; exchanging it with the shorter black-head bolt can prevent correct thread engagement.

Leave the bolts slightly loose so the bracket can pivot around the outer bolt. Pull the inner side of the bracket downward, then tighten the inner bolt followed by the outer bolt to set its alignment.

Vehicle-specific bracket and its two factory mounting bolts.
Vehicle-specific bracket and its two factory mounting bolts. View full size
The vehicle brackets positioned ahead of the grille.
The vehicle brackets positioned ahead of the grille. View full size

Step 8

Route the harness before refitting the valance

Feed the included harness through the opening in the rubber seal beside the bracket. Do this now: the connector will not pass through with the plastic valance installed.

Step 9

Refit the grille and trim

With the brackets installed and harness routed, reverse steps 1–6 to reinstall the grille, trim panel and valance. Reconnect the harnesses and secure their retaining clips.

Step 10

Attach the CrossLink low mounts

For this five-pod kit, fasten the SS5 low-mount brackets to the vehicle brackets with the supplied M6 hardware.

The low-mount bracket and its attachment to the vehicle bracket.
The low-mount bracket and its attachment to the vehicle bracket. View full size

Step 11

Link the five pods into the curved bar

Assemble the five SS5 pods with the supplied CrossLinks and end mounts using the diagrams below and the instructions included with your kit.

  1. Face each link’s curved, open side toward the front. Its flat DD-logo side faces the rear.
  2. Line up the link’s indicator slots with the arrow on the pod housing. For this F-150, set each connection at the bottom of the second notch to form the correct curve.
  3. At each end, position the connector’s pivot behind its mounting holes. Face the base’s slotted mounting surface toward the pod.
  4. Leave the end-mount M6 bolt loose until the bar is installed on the truck. The slot provides the adjustment needed for the curved assembly.

Diode Dynamics recommends threadlocker on the long end bolts to help prevent loosening.

Link adjustment detail for the F-150 curved bar.
Link adjustment detail for the F-150 curved bar. View full size
The F-150 setting at the bottom of the second notch.
The F-150 setting at the bottom of the second notch. View full size

Step 12

Fit the assembled bar to the mounts

Attach the bar to the low mounts with one 10mm bolt on each side. Rotate the bar upward to expose the end bolt in the pivot mount. Tighten that pivot bolt with a 5mm Allen wrench, then rotate the bar down and install the other two 10mm bolts.

Rotate the bar to access the end pivot bolt.
Rotate the bar to access the end pivot bolt. View full size
The low-mount bolts and pivot connection.
The low-mount bolts and pivot connection. View full size

Step 13

Set the opposite pivot and secure the bar

After tightening all three 10mm bolts, adjust the gap at the opposite pivot mount and secure it with the 5mm Allen wrench. Set the beam angle and confirm all mounting hardware is tight.

Secure the opposite-side pivot mount.
Secure the opposite-side pivot mount. View full size

Step 14

Connect the main-beam control

Factory auxiliary-switch route: locate the aux wiring near the battery. Use your truck’s owner’s manual to identify the wire and switch with the appropriate rating. Join the harness’s yellow main-beam control wire to the chosen aux wire with a properly crimped butt connector.

No factory aux bank: use the toggle-switch adapter supplied with the harness instead. Follow the harness instructions for its switch routing. All power sources must be properly fused.

Step 15

Connect the backlight control

Connect the harness’s blue backlight wire to a separate auxiliary-switch circuit. The manufacturer also permits connection to an existing Stage Series backlight circuit. Keep main-beam and backlight control distinct.

Step 16

Connect the battery leads

Connect the harness’s positive and negative leads to the corresponding battery or main power terminals near the fuse box. Use the harness supplied for your Sport or Pro kit, including its fuse and relay arrangements.

Step 17

Secure and test the installation

Secure the wiring, check the connections and test both the main beam and backlight. Confirm the grille and trim are secure, all mounting hardware is tight, and the bar is aimed as intended before use.

Read the harness and lamp connections separately

The F-150 aux instructions above identify the harness’s yellow main-beam control and blue backlight control wires. The diagram shows the factory-aux arrangement; its separate toggle-switch branch is unused on that route. Trucks without factory aux switches use the supplied toggle-switch adapter.

Manufacturer factory-aux wiring arrangement: separate main-beam and backlight controls, fused power input, ground and relay.
Manufacturer factory-aux wiring arrangement: separate main-beam and backlight controls, fused power input, ground and relay. View full size

The following reference describes the lamp connector; its red power lead and the harness’s yellow aux control lead are different connections.

Pin 1 · Red
Main-beam power: positive supply.
Pin 2 · Black
Ground: negative supply or common ground.
Pin 3 · Blue
Backlight power: the chosen backlight circuit.

Keep the supplied fuse protection in place. For an alternate wiring arrangement, have the circuit sizing and protection checked for the complete five-pod load.

Diode Dynamics SS5 lamp wire functions, reproduced in readable text above.
Diode Dynamics SS5 lamp wire functions, reproduced in readable text above. View full size
Diode Dynamics SS5 lamp connector pinout reference.
Diode Dynamics SS5 lamp connector pinout reference. View full size

Set the backlight colour

This colour-selection procedure is for the White-lens kits. Yellow-lens kits have an Amber-only backlight. The backlight setting does not change the main-beam colour.

  1. Start with backlight power off.
  2. Switch the backlight on and off three times within three seconds, with each on action about one second apart.
  3. After the third cycle, continue cycling at the same steady pace to move through the available colours.
  4. When the colour you want appears, leave the backlight on for five seconds. It saves automatically and exits programming.
  5. Turn it off. Your selected colour will return the next time backlight power is applied.

Available colours: White (default), Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Yellow, Amber and Teal.

Synchronise the backlights

If the White-lens pods no longer show the same backlight colour, use the manufacturer’s reset:

  1. Enter programming with three on/off cycles at the same one-second pace.
  2. Continue through all eight colours twice—at least sixteen total power cycles.
  3. Once every colour has displayed twice, the connected lights reset to White.
  4. Leave the backlights on for five seconds to save. Then use the colour-selection steps above if you want a different colour.

Ready for the next step?

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Original BTS guide based on Diode Dynamics’ current F-150 SS5 installation instructions and CrossLink/SS5 assembly references, checked October 23, 2026. Vehicle-specific article published August 12, 2026; the product-linked April 5, 2024 article supplies the retained fastener and harness-routing details. Diagrams and installation video © Diode Dynamics. Follow the instructions supplied with your exact kit where revisions differ.