Ford pauses shipments of new F-150 Lightning EVs
Ford paused shipments of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup to perform quality checks on an unspecified issue
Ford reducing electric truck production, a move that could impact more than 1,000 workers
FOX Business Jeff Flock reports from the Celebrity Ford of Toms River dealership, where electric F-150s arent driving off the lot fast enough.
Ford Motor Company said Friday that it halted shipments of all 2024 model year F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks so that the company could perform quality checks for an unspecified issue.
The Detroit automaker said the pause on shipments began on Feb. 9 and didn't say when it expected to resume shipments of the EV truck that had begun in January. Ford declined to specify what quality issue is being checked while the stop-ship order is in place, Reuters reported.
A spokesperson for Ford told FOX Business the company began shipping model year 2024 Lightnings month and added, "We expect to ramp up shipments in the coming weeks as we complete thorough launch quality checks to ensure these new F-150s meet our high standards and delight customers."
Last month, Ford announced that it's reducing production levels for the F-150 Lightning by about half from the previously planned production rate of 3,200 per week to about 1,600 per week amid soft demand for EVs in the U.S. auto market.
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Ford paused shipments of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup to perform quality checks on an unspecified issue. (Photographer: Nic Antaya/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The company will also reduce the number of shifts at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center where it builds the EV pickups to one effective April 1. The move will affect about 1,400 workers, including 700 who will move to the company's Michigan Assembly Plant.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | FORD MOTOR CO. | 11.18 | +0.38 | +3.47% |
Some will be placed in roles at the Rouge complex or other Ford facilities in southeast Michigan, while others can "take advantage of the Special Retirement Incentive Program agreed to in the 2023 Ford-UAW contract."
Ford began producing the F-150 Lightning in April 2022 and the company said last month that it sold more than 24,100 Lightning EV trucks in the U.S. in 2023. That amounted to a nearly 55% increase from the 15,600 it sold the prior year.
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Ford previously announced that it's scaling back production of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup by about half this year. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images / Getty Images)
The automaker's delivery pause for new F-150 Lightning EVs comes as it began shipping the first newly designed gas-powered 2024 model F-150 pickups to dealers.
Ford said it expects to "ramp up shipments in the coming weeks as we complete thorough quality launch checks to ensure these new F-150s meet our high standards.
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The company had previously indicated that the gas-powered F-150s would be shipped in early 2024 and on Friday said it was "on plan."
FOX Business's Aislinn Murphy and Reuters contributed to this report.