A “supplier parts concern” temporarily suspended new Ford F-150 production, according to a recent report.
The Detroit Free Press confirmed Friday that Ford Motor Company halted the two factories that build the hugely popular F-150 for nearly a week due to a parts issue. In the process, the automaker also laid off the plants’ 9,700 combined workers while stakeholders worked to address the concern.
According to the report, Ford stopped production at the Dearborn Truck Plant between January 25 and January 31, affecting 5,200 UAW workers. The Kansas City Assembly plant, for its part, halted production between January 25 and February 1, impacting a further 4,500 workers.
Per company spokesperson Jessica Enoch, as quoted by the Free Press: “Production has resumed [as of February 2] after being paused because of a supplier parts concern. We are vigilant about ensuring that the vehicles our customers receive are built with the quality they expect and we are taking appropriate actions to deliver on that commitment.”
Regular shifts at both factories have returned to normal, as the automaker aims to ramp up production of its recently refreshed gasoline trucks. Now in its fourteenth generation, Ford updated the F-150 for 2024 and revealed it to the public last September.
While Ford changes over ICE F-150 production for this model year, the company did report a 11.5% drop in F-Series sales so far this year. Keep in mind, those figures include F-150 and Super Duty models, though it is common to see pre-update sales fall at least slightly as dealers and customers await the new models. (The Super Duty, for its part, saw a major update for the 2023 model year.)
In the wake of weakening demand for the electric F-150 Lightning pickup, the Blue Oval previously announced it would slash 2024 production by half, affecting 1,400 workers at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center as the plant transitions to a single shift on April 1. The company noted it would not lay off those employees, however, as half will transfer to the company’s Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan (which builds the Ranger and Bronco), while the rest will move to other roles in the Rouge Complex or move out to other Ford facilities across southeastern Michigan, with a select few possibly opting for early retirement as part of the deal negotiated last year between Ford and the UAW last year.
