Ford is recalling 18 F-150 Lightnings due to battery ignition problems.
The cause of the February F-150 Lightning fire has been determined.
On Friday, Ford spokeswoman Emma Berg told Motor Authority that the company is recalling 18 2023 F-150 Lightning electric trucks due to battery problems. The issue is linked to a February fire, and Ford will replace the high-voltage battery packs in the affected trucks.
According to Berg, battery suppliers SK-On and Ford have determined that the fire was caused by a manufacturing defect in the battery cells. The defective battery packs were manufactured and shipped to the production line over a four-week period at the end of 2022.
Ford established that only 18 F-150 Lightnings with the suspect packs were shipped to dealers and customers from that four-week period.
Ford dealers will replace the packs for affected F-150 Lightning owners; Bergg said the packs will be replaced as soon as they are available. Customers will be notified as soon as possible.
Ford is not asking customers to park their electric trucks outdoors, stop driving, or stop charging them, as they have passed pre-delivery quality checks and have no abnormalities in the connected vehicle data. No accidents or injuries have been reported as a result of this recall, and the only fire occurred in Ford's pre-delivery parking lot.
Customers will be offered loaner vehicles while the trucks' batteries are being replaced.
Production of the F-150 Lightning was halted in February when the truck's battery pack caught fire outside Ford's Dearborn plant while awaiting pre-delivery quality inspection. A cease production and stop shipment order was immediately issued.
Once SK-On and Ford determined that the problem was a manufacturing defect in the battery cells, a parts change was implemented to new packs. Ford did not elaborate on the exact nature of the defect.
Berg reiterated that production of the F-150 Lightning, which has no battery packs in stock, is scheduled to resume on Monday.