Battery issue forces Ford to stop F-150 Lightning production

Nearly 2 years ago, Ford wowed the motoring world when they unveiled the F-150 Lightning – a dedicated EV variant of its highly-popular full-size pickup truck. Immediately after it was revealed, Ford announced that over 20,000 orders were placed for the F-150 Lightning in just 12 hours.

With that, it seems Ford was able to capitalize on the F-150's unwavering popularity as well as the rising demand for electric vehicles (EVs). Unfortunately, a possible battery pack issue has resulted in the Blue Oval temporarily stopping production as well as the shipment of new F-150 Lightnings.

The official cause has not yet been announced but according to a report by Motor Authority, a company spokesperson shared that both a stop-build and an in-transit stop-ship order have been issued.

The company's engineering department is currently investigating the issue in order to find out the root cause. Ford clarified, however, that they are currently unaware of any incidents in the field due to the said battery concern.

More importantly, Ford said that the potential issue DOES NOT affect F-150 Lightnings that have already been delivered to customers. In addition, vehicles that have already been cleared for scheduled delivery are also not part of the stop-ship order issued by Ford.

There's no clear timeline yet for when will production and shipping will resume for the F-150 Lightning. But given the severity of the issue, it might take a while before the Blue Oval can recommence manufacturing and transportation of the said pickup.

Ford has long been plagued by quality issues. Ford CEO Jim Farley has already voiced criticism about it as the reason that the company lost USD 2 billion in 2022 according to Automotive News. Moreover, Farley has also criticized his engineers for being inefficient, citing that other automakers can get the same amount of work with fewer engineers per the German publication Automobilwoche.