DEARBORN (WWJ) - Ford has stopped shipments of the 2024 model year F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks so it can perform quality checks for an issue it did not specify.
The Dearborn-based automaker made the announcement on Friday, Feb. 24, stating that shipments ceased back on Feb. 9. There were no immediate details on when shipments would resume.
A spokesperson declined to comment on what issue was being checked.
The announcement comes the same week that Ford said it started shipping its newly designed gas-powered 2024 model F-150 pickups to dealerships.
The company said it expects to "ramp up shipments in the coming weeks as we complete thorough launch quality checks to ensure these new F-150s meet our high standards."
Ford said back in September that they planned to ship the new F-150 in early 2024. On Friday, a spokesperson said the company remained "on plan."
The No. 2 automaker's announcement about its EV truck comes a month after the company slashed production of the Lightning as demand for electric vehicles declined.
While Ford said it will still make the Lightening, they cut back production at its Michigan Rouge Electric Vehicle Center to just one shift beginning April 1.
The company also dropped one shift out of three at its EV plant in October 2023.
According to Reuters, suppliers were told in December that Ford planned to make about 1,600 F-150 Lightning EV trucks per week starting in January, about half of the 3,200 that it originally stated.
Last year, Ford sold 24,165 F-150 Lightning trucks nationwide, a 55% increase from 2022, out of about 750,000 total F-150 U.S. sales.
"Ford in August had said the plant that builds F-150 Lightning could hit a 150,000-vehicle annualized production rate by October," Reuters reported. "In 2022 it said it would double EV truck production."
