Ford halts production, shipments of F-150 Lightning over potential battery issue

Ford Motor Co. temporarily halted production and shipments of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup over a potential battery issue, the company confirmed Tuesday.

The automaker did not disclose the details of the potential issue, although spokeswoman Emma Bergg said an investigation is underway after a vehicle displayed a possible problem as part of the company's pre-delivery quality inspections. It is unclear how long the halt on production and shipments will continue.

The company is not aware of any potential issues with any Lightnings that have already been delivered to customers, Bergg said.

The delay in production and shipments was first reported by Motor Authority.

The F-150 Lightning is a key part of Ford's plans to produce 600,000 EVs annually by the end of this year, and 2 million by 2026. Ford recently added a third shift at the Rouge plant as it works to boost production to 150,000 Lightnings by the end of the year.

CEO Jim Farley has said the product would likely determine whether the U.S. was ready to fully embrace EVs.

Ford, however, has been plagued by quality issues and trouble on many of its highest-profile products. Last year, Ford issued a stop-sale on the Mustang Mach-E as it recalled nearly 50,000 crossovers over a safety defect that could cause it to lose power.

Farley earlier this month blamed long-standing execution issues, including high costs and quality issues, as the reason why Ford lost US$2 billion in 2022.