Production and shipments of the Ford F-150 Lightning have been stopped, though sales continue.
On Tuesday, Ford spokesperson Emma Bergg confirmed to Green Car Reports a stop-build and in-transit stop-ship order has been given for the F-150 Lightning pickup truck due to a potential battery issue.
Ford on Wednesday confirmed the issue as battery-related, but it has not yet disclosed what the issue is.
Discovered during Ford’s pre-delivery quality inspections, the issue may affect trucks in production and those on their way to dealers. The automaker is unaware of any incidents or issues associate with customer-owned trucks at this time.
Ford has not issued a stop-sale and Bergg on Tuesday confirmed Lightnings already sitting at dealers awaiting delivery can be delivered to customers as scheduled.
However on Wednesday, Begg noted that Ford has identified the “likely population of vehicles affected by the issue”—perhaps an early indication that a recall may be initiated.
“By the end of next week, we expect to conclude our investigation and apply what we learn to the truck’s battery production processes; this could take a few weeks,” said Bergg.
The engineering team is currently establishing the root cause of the potential issue, and a timeline hasn’t been given as to when the stop-build and in-transit stop-ship orders will be reversed.
The Ford F-150 Lightning was named Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2023 for its transformative effect on the pickup-truck and electric-car market.
Ford’s electric pickup truck has received three large price hikes since it went on sale just under a year ago. The current base price of $57,869 is nearly 40% higher than the original pricing.
On Monday Ford announced a new battery plant, which is set to play a key role in making the automaker’s EVs affordable. Part of that announcement included the transition to LFP batteries for some future F-150 Lightning models.
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This story was originally published Feb. 14 and updated to reflect additional information provided Feb. 15.
