Dearborn, Michigan – Ford Motor Co. has temporarily halted shipments of its all-electric F-150 Lightning pickups for quality inspections, creating a pause in the production process since February 9. Emma Bergg, a spokesperson for Ford, stated that the decision to hold shipments is a routine part of the manufacturing process when shifting production to a new model year. The company recently began shipping new 2024 model year F-150 gasoline-powered and hybrid trucks.
The pause in shipments was initially reported by Automotive News, raising questions about the specific quality concerns that prompted the decision. Despite the temporary halt in electric truck deliveries, Ford dealers still have F-150 Lightning trucks in their inventory for customers to purchase while shipments are on hold.
Ford’s F-series of full-size pickups, including the popular F-150 models, have long been the best-selling vehicles in America, with the company selling approximately 750,000 trucks last year. It is worth noting that only about 24,000 of those sales were Lightning models, as Ford sells significantly more gasoline- and hybrid-powered F-150s.
Almost a year ago, Ford faced a similar production stoppage with the Lightning model due to a potential battery issue, which was quickly resolved, and production resumed shortly after. The Lightning is one of two all-electric vehicles offered by Ford in the US, alongside the Mustang Mach-E, a competitor to electric cars like the Tesla Model Y. With Ford’s CEO revealing ongoing engineering efforts for future electric vehicles, the company remains committed to expanding its electric vehicle lineup in the coming years.