- Ford has stopped production and shipping of the F-150 Lightning electric truck, citing battery problems.
- The automaker is currently investigating a possible problem with the battery, though it said there have been no accidents or injuries linked to it in customer use.
- Ford said Tuesday it has no timeline for when production of the hugely popular EV will begin.
Update 3/2/23: In a statement today, Ford said it will resume production of the hugely popular F-150 Lightning electric pickup on March 13. The additional 11-day delay, it said, is “to allow time for [supplier] SK On’s battery cells will be fabricated into battery arrays and packs and delivered to the Lightning production line. We continue to deliver high-quality battery packs—battery cells. As REVC ramps up production, we will continue to build vehicles already in production while working through engineering and parts updates.” CD asked about the nature of the problem with the original battery, and Ford replied, “We are not providing additional details at this time.”
Update 2/15/23: Ford issued a fresh statement Wednesday afternoon saying it has determined what the problem is with the F-150 Lightning’s battery. The automaker is now saying that production at the Rouge electric vehicle center will be suspended “at least until the end of next week,” which would be on or after February 24. “During a standard Lightning pre-delivery quality inspection, a vehicle displayed a battery issue. We believe we have identified the root cause of this issue. By the end of next week, we expect to conclude our investigation. and look forward to applying what we’ve learned. Truck battery production process; this could take a few weeks. We’ll continue to keep vehicles already in production while we work through engineering and process updates .
“We are not aware of any incidents of this issue in the field and do not believe that F-150 lightings already in customer hands are affected,” Ford’s statement said. However, the statement did not clarify what the battery problem was.
Ford’s F-150 Lightning pickup truck has proven wildly popular in its first year of production, but preorder customers may have to wait a little longer. The automaker said today it has detected a potential problem with the EV’s battery and has halted both production and shipping of trucks already built but not yet delivered to dealers. No date has been given for the resumption of production.
The Lightning is built at Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, where production is set to begin in late April 2022. A Ford spokesman told car and driver The truck is under “Stop Build and In-Transit Stop Ship” and explained, “As part of our pre-delivery quality inspection, one vehicle displayed a potential battery issue and we are holding the vehicles while we investigate. We are not aware of any incidents of this issue in the region. The Motor Authority reported earlier today that F-150 Lightning pickups will be delivered to customers already at dealerships and will not be affected by the order.
digital director
Laura Sky Brown has been involved in automotive media for a very long time, and she sees it as her calling to help protect the heritage and ensure continued high quality. Car and Driver. she was one of the first employees automobile magazine in the ’80s and has since worked as a writer, editor and copy editor for several other car magazines and websites. He has had the privilege of editing many of the greats of automotive journalism over the years, including those who currently write CD,