- Ford has shut down manufacturing and delivery of the F-150 Lightning electrical truck, citing a battery problem.
- The automaker is presently investigating a possible drawback with the battery, though it mentioned there have been no accidents or accidents related to it in buyer use.
- There is no such thing as a timeline for when manufacturing of the extremely standard EV will resume, Ford mentioned on Tuesday.
UPDATE 3/2/23: In an announcement at present, Ford mentioned it’ll restart manufacturing of the extraordinarily standard F-150 Lightning electrical pickup on March 13. The extra 11-day delay, it mentioned, is to permit “time for [supplier] SK On’s battery cells to be constructed into battery arrays and packs and be delivered to the Lightning manufacturing line.” Ford’s spokesperson went on to say: “Within the weeks forward, we are going to proceed to use our learnings and work with SK On’s workforce to make sure we proceed delivering high-quality battery packs—right down to the battery cells. As REVC ramps up manufacturing, we are going to proceed holding already produced autos whereas we work by means of engineering and elements updates.” We now have inquired concerning the nature of the issue with the unique battery and can replace this story if we get additional particulars.
UPDATE 2/15/23: Ford issued a recent assertion on Wednesday afternoon stating that it has found out what the issue is with the F-150 Lightning’s battery. The automaker is now saying manufacturing on the Rouge Electrical Automobile Middle might be suspended “by means of at the very least the top of subsequent week,” which might be February 24 or later. “Throughout a typical Lightning pre-delivery high quality inspection, one car displayed a battery problem. We imagine we have now recognized the basis reason for this problem. By the top of subsequent week, we anticipate to conclude our investigation and apply what we study to the truck’s battery manufacturing course of; this might take a number of weeks. We are going to proceed holding already-produced autos whereas we work by means of engineering and course of updates.
“We aren’t conscious of any incidents of this problem within the discipline and don’t imagine F-150 Lightnings already in prospects’ palms are affected by this problem,” the Ford assertion mentioned. The assertion didn’t clarify what the battery problem was, nevertheless.
Ford’s F-150 Lightning pickup truck has proved wildly standard in its first 12 months of manufacturing, however prospects already standing by to get one could have to attend somewhat longer. The automaker mentioned at present that it has detected a possible drawback with the EV’s battery and has shut down each manufacturing of the vans and delivery of these already constructed however not but delivered to sellers. No date has been given for resumption of manufacturing.
The Lightning is constructed at Ford’s Rouge Electrical Automobile Middle in Dearborn, Michigan, the place manufacturing began in late April 2022. A Ford spokesperson instructed Automotive and Driver that the truck is beneath a “Cease Construct and In-Transit Cease Ship” and defined, “As a part of our pre-delivery high quality inspections, a car displayed a possible battery problem and we’re holding autos whereas we examine. We aren’t conscious of any incidences of this problem within the discipline.” Motor Authority reported earlier at present that F-150 Lightning pickups already at dealerships might be delivered to prospects and are usually not affected by the order.
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Laura Sky Brown has been concerned in automotive media for a really very long time, and he or she sees it as her calling to protect the legacy and assist make sure the continued prime quality of Automotive and Driver. She was one of many first staffers at Car Journal within the ’80s and has labored for a lot of different automotive magazines and web sites as a author, editor, and duplicate editor ever since. It has been her privilege to edit lots of the greats of automotive journalism through the years, together with those who presently write for C/D.
