Ford CEO Jim Farley proclaims at a press conference that Ford Motor Company will partner with the world’s largest battery manufacturer, China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology, to create an electric vehicle battery factory in Marshall, Michigan, February 13, 2023 in Romulus, Michigan.
Bill Pugliano | Getty Images | News Getty’s paintings
DETROIT- Ford engine is recalling 18 F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks that the corporate identified as potentially having a battery cell defect that caused the truck to catch fire last month.
The Detroit automaker said Friday that the small recall concerns vehicles which have already been delivered to customers and dealers. They were assembled from improperly manufactured battery cells that had been built for 4 weeks in a Georgia factory from supplier SK On.
A Ford spokeswoman declined to disclose what number of trucks Ford can have in its possession. She said the corporate was “applying quality actions to already produced vehicles with batteries built inside this four-week window that we’re keeping.”
The fire occurred on February 4 in a car parking zone during a pre-delivery quality check while the vehicle was being loaded. Ford has suspended vehicle production and stopped shipping to dealers.
Ford previously declined to reveal details of the issue that caused the vehicle to catch fire, or the answer it used. Additional details needs to be available when National Highway Transport Administration(*18*) officially issues a notice of withdrawal.
Ford said it was not aware of any reports of accidents or injuries related to the battery issue or recall.
The automaker reiterated on Friday that production of the F-150 Lightning is scheduled to resume Monday at one in all its Michigan plants.
The F-150 Lightning is closely watched by investors because it is the primary electric pickup available on the market and a very important Ford launch.
Ford initially opened customer bookings for the F-150 Lightning when it was revealed in May 2021. Greater than 200,000 bookings had been made before Ford temporarily shut down the method to attempt to align production with expected demand.
To this point, Ford has sold lower than 20,000 all-electric trucks.