Battery issue causes Ford to halt F-150 Lightning production

American automaker Ford has confirmed that it’s halting the production of its F-150 Lightning, the best-selling electrical pickup truck within the United States, due to a potential battery drawback.

In a press release given to CNN News, Ford spokesperson Emma Berg stated that the corporate found the issue throughout pre-delivery car inspections, and the production halt was ordered final week.

According to the report, the pause in production and supply won’t have an effect on vans already at dealerships or these already delivered to clients. Besides this, Ford didn’t present any details about the character of the battery-related drawback, nor did it point out its severity of it. “The team is diligently working on the root cause analysis,” Berg stated.

Production for the F-150 Lightning began within the spring of final yr. Since then, the automotive firm has offered 18,000 F-150 Lightning pickup vans, making the car the best-seller in its class. However, competitors is on its manner.

General Motors is anticipated to start producing the Chevrolet Silverado EV later this yr, which might be adopted early subsequent yr by the GMC Sierra EV. Tesla’s Cybertruck can also be anticipated to start full production in 2024, and Stellantis will reportedly start production of the Ram 1500 Rev subsequent yr.

While the present halt in production is due to a battery issue, Ford has made important investments in battery production, together with a latest $3.5 billion USD (about $4.6 billion CAD) in a brand new battery plant in Michigan that’s set to start production in 2026. Additionally, the automaker is establishing production amenities in Kentucky and Tennessee to manufacture electrical car batteries and vans.

Source: CNN News