Ford CEO Jim Farley announced at a press conference on February 13 that Ford Motor Company will partner with the world’s largest battery company, China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology, to build an electric vehicle battery plant in Marshall, Michigan. Romulus, Michigan in 2023.
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DETROIT – Ford motor the company is recalling 18 electric F-150 Lightning pickups after it determined it may have a faulty battery that caused the truck to catch fire last month.
The Detroit automaker said Friday that the small recall is for vehicles delivered to customers and dealers. They were assembled with faulty battery cells made over four weeks at supplier SK On’s Georgia plant.
A Ford spokesman declined to say how many trucks Ford has in its holdings that could be the problem. He said the company is “putting quality measures in place for vehicles already in production with batteries installed in the four-week window we’re holding.”
The fire broke out on February 4 during a pre-delivery quality check while the vehicle was being loaded at the warehouse. Ford stopped production of the vehicles and stopped deliveries to dealers.
Ford has previously declined to reveal the details of the problem that caused the vehicle to catch fire or the solution that was implemented. More details should be available when the National Highways Authority officially issues the recall notice.
Ford said it was not aware of any reports of accidents or injuries related to the battery issue or the recall.
The automaker reiterated Friday that production of the F-150 Lightning will resume Monday at one of its plants in Michigan.
The F-150 Lightning will be closely watched by investors as it is the first electric pickup on the market and a major launch for Ford.
Ford will begin taking customer orders for the F-150 Lightning when it is revealed in May 2021. More than 200,000 reservations were placed before Ford temporarily shut down the process to match production to expected demand.
Ford has sold fewer than 20,000 of its all-electric trucks so far.
