Ford Motor Co. confirmed Friday that it told some F-150 Lightning customers about a battery issue in some units of the all-electric pickup that may prevent the vehicle from shifting into drive.
The Dearborn automaker said it is conducting a customer satisfaction program to remedy the issue it identified using connected-vehicle data, spokesperson Maria Buczkowski told The Detroit News. CNBC first reported the issue.
The problem was identified in about 100 vehicles. A battery performance issue may prevent the vehicle from shifting into drive; if it were to happen while the vehicle is being driven, it could result in a loss of speed, but Buczkowski said Ford is not aware of any instances of that happening. The fix is a battery module replacement.
“In this case of a potentially defective battery module, Ford is contacting customers to go to a dealer and get the suspect module replaced,” Buczkowski said.
The issue comes after Ford earlier this week confirmed a separate problem with a unit of the Lightning that the company does not believe is related.
On Wednesday, the automaker said that a battery fire discovered Feb. 4 prompted a production stoppage on the Lightning, which is built at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn. Ford is keeping production on the truck down through at least the end of next week as it continues to look into the issue and applies its finding to the battery production process.
The automaker has said that it identified an issue with a Lightning unit “during a standard pre-delivery quality inspection,” and that a battery fire started while the vehicle was parked in a holding lot. The company believes it has identified the cause of that defect.
In all, Ford said the process could take a few weeks to resolve. It will continue holding Lightning units that have been assembled but not yet delivered. It doesn’t believe any vehicles that customers have taken delivery of are affected.
The supplier of the F-150 Lightning batteries is SK On, a South Korean company with a plant in Georgia.
The Lightning, and Ford’s ability to boost production of it, is a key part of the automaker’s EV strategy. The automaker is targeting an annual EV run rate of 600,000 units by the end of this year and 2 million units by the end of 2026.
Meanwhile, Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant will be down again next week after production was idled this week. Local media have reported that the plant is working through issues with the launch of the Ford Escape, which was refreshed for model year 2023.
“We are committed to ensuring our vehicles are built with the quality our customers deserve and will take the appropriate actions to deliver this commitment,” Ford spokesperson Kelli Felker said in a statement.
Quality has been a major issue for Ford and one that executives have identified as a top priority to fix as they attempt to take out a multibillion-dollar cost disadvantage they say the company has. High warranty costs are part of the problem, they’ve said. The company is eyeing about $1 billion in reductions in costs tied to warranties.
Ford said Friday that it’s in touch with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about both issues with the Lightning.
jgrzelewski@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @JGrzelewski