- Ford F-150 Lightning production is currently idle while the Rouge plant’s engineers investigate a battery problem, according to recent reports.
- A Ford spokesperson said the vehicle has been out of production for a week, and that it is currently in a “stop-build” and “stop-ship” state.
- The issue does not impact Lightnings that are already on dealer lots — those trucks are still available for sale.
- Ford did not elaborate on the nature of the battery issue, nor did it say when production will restart, at time of writing.
Ford has stressed quality control as a top priority in recent months — to the point where it has temporarily stopped F-150 Lightning production.
According to a Detroit Free Press report, Ford stopped manufacturing the high-profile, high-demand F-150 Lightning last week. Engineers at the automaker’s Rouge plant in Dearborn are currently working to root out the cause of a battery problem. While the truck is officially in a “stop-build” and “stop-ship” state, according to company spokesperson Emma Bergg, the issue does not affect vehicles that are currently on dealer lots.
“As part of our pre-delivery quality inspections, the vehicle displayed a potential battery issue and we’re holding vehicles while we investigate,” she told the outlet. Bergg continued by saying engineers are conducting a “root cause analysis”, though she did not specify exactly what they are investigating. At time of writing, Ford also could not specify a time when the held trucks will be released or the plant will restart production.
At this time, it’s also unknown how many Ford F-150 Lightning trucks are affected.
We will publish an update when there’s more information available. This news comes the day after executive chairman Bill Ford and CEO Jim Farley announced a new $3.5 billion plant in Marshall, Michigan. That plant will produce lithium iron phosphate batteries for the F-150 Lightning next year.
Motor1 and Motor Authority were among the first to report the Rouge plant’s status on Tuesday.
