Ford Suspends Production and Shipments of the Electric F-150 Lightning Due to Potential Battery Problems

In response to a potential issue with the battery in Ford Motor Company's electric F-150 Lightning pickup, Ford Motor Company announced Tuesday that it has halted production and shipments of the pickup until further notice.

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In a statement from the automaker, spokeswoman Emma Bergg would not disclose details of the possible problem with the vehicle's battery. Ford is investigating the issue after one of the vehicle's quality inspections suggested a potential problem as part of a pre-delivery quality check.

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According to Bergg, a stop-shipment order was issued last week, along with a halt in production, immediately following the order. Earlier this month, Ford CEO Jim Farley informed investors that there were ongoing "execution issues" relating to the company.

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There is no timeline set by Ford for when the production and the shipments of the cars are expected to resume, Bergg said.

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“We are diligently working on the root cause analysis right now,” Bergg said, adding that the company is "doing the right thing by our customers" by resolving any potential issues before resuming production and shipments as soon as possible.

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As far as Bergg is aware, there have been no incidents or problems associated with the battery issue at the company. The stop-sale policy does not apply to vehicles already on dealer lots, which means that dealers can continue to sell vehicles they already have on hand without having to worry about it.

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Motor Authority was the first to report the halt in production and shipments on Tuesday.

As Ford's first mainstream electric pickup truck, the F-150 Lightning is being closely watched by investors as it will be a major launch for the company as it will be the first mainstream electric pickup truck to hit the market.

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There are a number of issues and recalls associated with automobiles that are routinely occurring, but battery issues are of particular concern and interest since automakers invest billions of dollars into their vehicles every year.

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GM's Chevrolet Bolt EV has been the focus of some of the most notable issues in recent years. Several vehicles manufactured by the Detroit automaker were recalled starting two years ago due to fires caused by “rare manufacturing defects” at the battery supplier LG Battery Solution facilities at the time of the recall.