Ford Halts Production of F-150 Lightning Due to Battery Fire

Feb. 20, 2023–Ford is suspending production and shipments of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup after a battery caught fire during a pre-delivery quality check, AP News reports.

Ford has ceased production at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, until at least the end of next week after a truck’s battery caught fire at an “outdoor lot near Dearborn where vehicles are held for quality checks.” Two nearby vehicles were also damaged by the fire, with no injuries reported. 

“By the end of next week, we expect to conclude our investigation and apply what we learn to the truck’s battery production processes,” said Ford spokeswoman Emma Bergg.

Though Ford believes they have found the cause of the issue, Bergg said it could take a few weeks for the problem to be properly addressed.

Ford currently has a backlog of “nearly 200,000 reservations” for the F-150 Lightning, which they stopped taking reservations for in December 2021.