Ford says it is recalling 18 F-150 Lightning pickup trucks “due to manufacturing defects in battery cells.”All 18 affected trucks will get new battery packs as a fix, Ford said auto blog.
The recall is related to an F-150 Lightning battery that caught fire during a quality check at Ford’s facility on February 4 this year. After the fire, Ford issued an order to stop manufacturing and shipping the Lightning while it investigated the matter. Ford announced the end of the investigation on March 2nd and resumed production on the March 13th date.
Ford didn’t provide details about the Lightning investigation at the time, but this recall notice gives us more details. I’ve pasted the full text of Ford’s statement below.
“Ford is recalling 18 F-150 Lightnings due to a battery cell manufacturing defect that occurred over a four-week period starting late last year. has been delivered to dealers and customers.
“On February 4th, one vehicle exhibited a battery problem and caught fire during standard quality checks. The root cause was identified as battery cell production at the SK On plant in Georgia. Ford is not aware of any reports of accidents or injuries related to this recall.Worked with SK-on to confirm the root cause and implement quality measures.Production is proceeding smoothly. We are now clearing our inventory of battery packs and will resume on Monday.”
In summary, Ford suggests the initial fire was caused by a battery cell production problem at the SK On factory. All of these 18 of his trucks affected are due to get new battery packs, and Ford says customers will be provided with loaner vehicles while the work is done. Ford also said it’s safe for customers to continue driving and charging their trucks, but encourages them to schedule appointments with dealers as soon as possible.
Beyond the details of the recall, Ford has confirmed that production of the F-150 Lightning will resume on March 13 with new battery packs, using knowledge gleaned from Ford’s investigation.
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