Ford has suspended deliveries of its all-electrical F-150 Lightning pickups and has been subjecting them to quality checks since February 9th, a move that is not uncommon in the vehicle manufacturing industry as new models are rolled out. Emma Bergg, a Ford spokesperson, refrained from pointing out any specific quality issue related to this decision.
The production and shipment of newer 2024 models of F-150 generic and hybrid trucks by Ford has begun. However, the automaker did not provide clarity on when the all-electric Lightning F-150 pickups would resume their shipment, which was initially reported by Automotive News.
The gasoline-driven and hybrid versions of the F-150 are outselling their electric counterpart. The F-series has been America’s most purchased vehicle for over four decades. Out of 750,000 F-series trucks sold by Ford last year, only around 24,000 were F-150 Lightning pickups.
Bergg assured that despite the halt in supplies, customers should not face difficulties in purchasing F-150 Lightning trucks, as the dealers still have them in stock. Notably, the production of the Lightning model was temporarily put on hold approximately a year ago due to a potential battery issue, but was resumed after a few weeks.
The Lightning is one of two fully electric vehicles that Ford currently markets in the US, the other being the Mustang Mach-E. This model is viewed as a direct rival to the Tesla Model Y. In the past year, Ford’s sales of the Mach-E SUV reached a little over 40,000 units.
Looking towards a future centered around electric vehicles, Ford CEO Jim Farley recently shared that the company has a dedicated team of engineers working on the engineering aspects of future electric models. The revelation underlines Ford’s strategic focus on expanding its electric vehicle portfolio.
