Ford has canceled some dealer stock orders for the 2023 F-150 Lightning in recent days, according to the Detroit Free Press.
The automaker confirmed to the paper on October 2 that the electric pickups are going through “additional quality checks” at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center (REVC) in Dearborn, Michigan.
“As a result, we have canceled some dealer stock orders not submitted as pre-sold” for model year 2023, Ford spokesman Marty Gunsberg told the paper. Mind you, he noted that customer orders had not been canceled.
Ford did not disclose the nature of the quality issues that were identified on 2023 F-150 Lightning trucks, but Gunsberg said they are not safety-related.
“Our manufacturing team is critical to our quality efforts because they are the last line of defense for delivery to our customers. We’ve identified a couple of additional areas where we believe additional checks are necessary as we ramp up production,” the company representative said.
Gunsberg told the publication that the company is now working to match its 2023 supply with demand as it prepares to start 2024 F-150 Lightning production later this year.
Ford resumed F-150 Lightning production on August 1 after a six-week shutdown that was necessary to expand and retool the facility in order to triple its manufacturing capacity. It’s worth pointing out that Ford also said at the time that the new tooling would support its drive for high quality.
Earlier in the year, production was halted for five weeks because of a fire in a Dearborn holding lot. One F-150 Lightning truck burned in the fire, which spread to two others. No injuries were involved.
The automaker later revealed that the fire had been caused by the battery, not vehicle assembly. Ford worked with SK On to identify the battery issue and fix it; F-150 Lightning production resumed in March.
F-150 Lightning battery cells are produced in Atlanta by Ford battery supplier SK On, while the battery pack is assembled at the Rawsonville Ford Plant in Ypsilanti, Michigan, from where it is shipped to REVC.
It remains to be seen if the additional quality checks will affect Ford’s target to produce the F-150 Lightning at an annualized rate of 150,000 units by this fall.
