Ford said it will restart production of the all-electric F-150 Lightning at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center on March 13 after a multi-week manufacturing stoppage.
On Feb. 14, Ford announced a stop build and in-transit stop ship for the F-150 Lightning after finding potential battery issues in a vehicle that underwent a pre-delivery quality inspection.
At least one vehicle displayed a battery issue. Ford found the root cause of the problem one day after announcing the production stoppage, it said.
It was unknown how long the production stoppage would last, but Ford finally has answers.
On March 2, Ford spokespeople announced production would officially restart March 13, "allowing time for SK On’s battery cells to be built into battery arrays and packs and be delivered to the Lightning production line.”
Ford said it would use its learnings from the past few weeks to work with SK On “to ensure we continue delivering high-quality battery packs---down to the battery cells.”
Already-produced F-150 Lightning units will be held at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center while Ford continues to work through engineering and parts updates.
The issue did not affect F-150 Lightning units already at dealerships across the U.S., the company said initially. These vehicles were safe to sell by dealers and buy by consumers, as they were unaffected by the SK On battery problems, Ford said.
On Feb. 24, the automaker said in a statement it agreed with SK On's recommended changes within its equipment and that battery cell production had already resumed at the cell maker’s facility in Commerce, GA.
Abby Andrews