Ford stops shipping 2024 F-150 Lightnings for ‘quality checks’

Ford has halted shipments of the new 2024 F-150 Lightning electric truck as of February 9th while it carries out quality inspections. Several outlets reported the pause on Friday, but none could say what prompted the check. In the meantime, Ford is still manufacturing the Lightning at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, according to Automotive News.

The carmaker reportedly declined to say when the shipments will be resumed. Ford spokesperson Emma Bergg told CNN that the hold isn’t unusual for the company when production moves to a new year. It’s unclear exactly what is causing this freeze, but Automotive News reports a “supplier parts concern” halted production of both the gas and electric versions of the F-150 for a week in January.

Last year, a battery fire that destroyed trucks at its Dearborn facility prompted the company to pause F-150 Lightning production and recall some of the trucks. The company also announced adjusted pricing for the 2024 Lightning in January, raising the sticker price for the three lower trims and dropping prices for the top two luxury models saying it was to optimize “sales growth, profitability and customer access to the IRA tax benefit.”

A fleet customer speaking to Automotive News said it had ordered about 100 F-150 trucks that were completed in December but hadn’t been delivered and had gotten “essentially no communication from Ford” explaining what was happening. A statement given to The Detroit News by Bergg said that Ford plans “to ramp up shipments in the coming weeks” after the checks are finished.

Ford cut back weekly production of the Lightning late last year, citing ”changing” customer demand, not long after postponing its $12 billion investment in battery factories and scaling back its Michigan plant’s battery-manufacturing goals.