Ford confirmed March 13 that production of the F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup restarted that morning at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center (REVC) following a shutdown due to a battery fire.
Ford CEO Jim Farley shared images of F-150 Lightning production lines, stating, “This is the engineering standard we aim to deliver consistently.”
In February, Ford shut down production and shipment of the F-150 Lightning after a battery fire occurred in one unit during a quality inspection. Ford said the root cause of the fire was identified soon after.
Ford worked with battery supplier SK On to refine the engineering of battery cells, where the fire’s cause was pinpointed. SK On recommended a series of changes to its battery cells, and Ford agreed, which then allowed the supplier to restart production at its plant in Commerce, GA.
Ford F-150 Lightning units already at dealerships were unaffected and were allowed to be sold to consumers, the company confirmed.
In early March, the company recalled 18 units of the pickup, which stemmed from the battery cell issue. Ford said it recalled the units due to “a battery cell manufacturing defect” that occurred over a four-week period at the end of 2022.
No injuries or accidents occurred that Ford was aware of, and the automaker said it had “a clean stock of battery packs” for the March 13 restart of production.
Abby Andrews