- Ford is recalling 18 F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks that the company determined had a battery cell defect that caused a truck fire last month.
- The Detroit automaker said Friday that the small recall is for vehicles that have already been delivered to customers and dealers.
- The automaker reiterated on Friday that production of the F-150 Lightning is set to resume Monday at one of its Michigan plants.
Ford CEO Jim Farley announced at a press conference that Ford Motor Company will partner with the world’s largest battery company, a China-based company called Contemporary Amperex Technology, to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, on February 13, 2023 in Romulus, Michigan. .
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DETROIT — Ford Motor Company is recalling 18 F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks, which the company determined likely had a battery cell defect that caused a truck fire last month.
The Detroit automaker said Friday that the small recall is for vehicles that have already been delivered to customers and dealers. Assembled with incorrectly produced battery cells built over four weeks in a Georgia factory from supplier SK On.
A Ford spokeswoman declined to say how many trucks Ford owns that might have the problem. She said the company is “applying quality procedures to vehicles already produced with built-in batteries in this four-week window that we hold them.”
The fire occurred on February 4th in a parking lot during a pre-delivery quality check while the vehicle was being shipped. Ford halted production of the vehicles and issued a stop-shipping order to dealers.
Ford has previously refused to disclose details of the problem that caused the vehicle to catch fire or the solution that was implemented. Additional details must be available when the National Highway Transportation Administration Officially issued a notice of subpoena.
Ford said it is not aware of any reports of an accident or injury related to the battery release or the recall.
The automaker reiterated on Friday that production of the F-150 Lightning is set to resume Monday at one of its Michigan plants.
Investors are watching the F-150 Lightning truck closely, as it is the first electric pickup truck on the market and a major launch for Ford.
Ford initially opened customer reservations for the F-150 Lightning when it was unveiled in May 2021. More than 200,000 reservations were placed before Ford temporarily shut down the operation to try to match production with expected demand.
Ford has sold less than 20,000 all-electric trucks to date.
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