Ford pauses F-150 Lightning EV production and shipments. Here's why

Ford has paused the production of its much-hyped F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck after encountering a possible problem with the battery pack of the EV. In addition to pausing production of the pickup truck, Ford has also stopped shipments of the electric vehicle to dealerships. The automaker has not officially revealed the reason behind this move, but Motor Authority reports that a potential issue involving the battery pack has been identified during the pre-delivery quality inspections.

The auto major is reportedly investigating the issue to find the root cause. The report also claims that the vehicles already out in the market are not affected by this move. Hence, the models available in the dealerships' inventory will continue to sell. The automaker has not revealed any timeline for production resumption, claims the report. Also, Ford claims that it is unaware of any incidents in the field that stemmed from this battery pack issue.

Interestingly, this is not the first issue the Ford electric vehicles have encountered. Previously, the automaker issued a stop-sale order for its Mustang Mach E last year. It also recalled nearly 20,000 units of the electric crossover over a power loss issue. Also, the car brand has been plagued by quality issues lately involving its electric vehicles. Ford CEO Jim Farley blamed those issues for the automaker's loss of $2 billion in 2022.

While the Mustang Mach-E has given the legacy automaker's effort to electrify its vehicle fleet a boost, the F-150 Lightning strengthened that momentum. The Ford F-150 Lightning comes as a pure electric form of vehicle that has been most popular in the North American market for a long time. The EV has helped Ford to claim victory over Tesla and also gave a headstart well ahead of its rivals like General Motors and Stellantis.