The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning truck is shown after winning the NACTOY 2023 North American Truck of The Year Award on January 11, 2023 in Pontiac, Michigan. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images) DEARBORN, Mich. - Ford Motor Co.
has suspended production and halted shipments of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup after a battery caught fire during a pre-delivery quality check.Production at Ford's Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan, has been stopped until at least the end of next week.The automaker said in a statement Wednesday night it has no reason to believe electric pickups already in use by customers are affected by the battery issue.RELATED: Ford recalls 462K vehicles to fix backup camera"By the end of next week, we expect to conclude our investigation and apply what we learn to the truck's battery production processes," Ford spokeswoman Emma Bergg said in the statement. "This could take a few weeks."The fire happened at an outdoor lot nearby in Dearborn where vehicles are held for quality checks.
The truck with the battery problem and two nearby vehicles were damaged by the fire, Bergg said. No injuries were reported.The company believes it has identified the root cause of the battery problem, including the likely population of trucks affected by it.