Ford Stops F-150 Lightning Production and Shipments Over "Battery Issue"
Ford has struggled to keep pace with demand for its electric F-150 Lightning, and now it appears the automaker is stopping production. Motor Authority reported that Ford is halting F-150 Lightning production and has issued an in-transit stop-ship order for the truck due to a potential battery issue.
Ford spokesperson Emma Bergg confirmed the stoppage to Motor Authority but did not disclose the scope of the battery issue. Bergg said Ford is unaware of any accidents or safety issues related to the battery issues and noted that vehicles already in the wild and those on dealers’ lots are not impacted.
Bergg didn’t pass along many details but confirmed that Ford’s engineering team is determining the root cause. There is no timeframe for when Ford might lift the stop-build order and allow shipments to resume, but any delays are bad news for hopeful buyers.
Reported wait times for the Lightning extend months, and some people may be waiting much longer than that. In late 2021, Ford announced that it had enough orders to fill a few years of production, and the list has only grown since then. The automaker is not currently taking orders for the truck, and its website says that reservation holders will be invited to place orders in waves.
[Image: Ford]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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But other than the battery everything is fine :)
Ford also shut down the plant that makes the Escape due to quality issues:
https://www.wdrb.com/news/business/ford-idles-louisville-assembly-plant-amid-rocky-launch-of-new-escape/article_807dd358-abcc-11ed-94c3-53b32c6a3045.html
I don't know how Jim Farely and Mary Barra keep their jobs.
Looks like the problem is, uh ... rather serious. https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/energy/3861082-ford-halts-production-shipments-of-electric-f-150-after-battery-fire/