Ford has announced an extension of the production pause at its F-150 Lightning plant for another week. The decision follows an incident in which an electric pickup truck caught fire earlier this month due to a battery issue. The automaker initially expected vehicle assembly to be down through at least the work week ending February 24, but it seems that the production halt may take longer. Despite the fact that Ford’s battery supplier SK has resumed production of battery cells at its Georgia plant, Ford has suspended production through the end of next week.
The battery fire occurred on February 4 during a pre-delivery quality check while the vehicle was charging. Ford suspended production and issued a stop-shipment of the vehicles to dealers, but it did not issue a stop-sale of F-150 Lightnings that were already on dealer lots when the issue was spotted. The company’s engineers found no evidence of a charging fault, and there are no reports of similar incidents in vehicles that have been already shipped to customers and dealers.
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Although SK has not disclosed the exact issue that caused the fire, the automaker has agreed with the battery supplier’s recommended changes to equipment and processes for cell production lines. However, SK needs time to ensure that they are building high-quality cells and to deliver them to the Lightning production line. Until then, Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center will remain closed.
It is unclear whether the issue will impact battery packs built after the one that caught fire, and the company has not revealed any further details about the root cause of the issue. Ford’s decision to extend the production pause underscores the seriousness of the issue and its commitment to ensuring the safety of its customers. We will continue to provide updates on any new developments.
