We now know what caused an F-150 Lightning to catch fire in February.
Ford spokeswoman Emma Berg told Motor Authority on Friday that the automaker is recalling 18 2023 F-150 Lightning electric trucks due to battery issues. The problem was the cause of the fire in February and will prompt Ford to replace the high-voltage battery packs in affected trucks.
Battery supplier SK On and Ford determined the fire was caused by a battery manufacturing defect, Bergg said. The defective battery pack is manufactured and shipped to the production line within four weeks in late 2022.
Ford has determined that only 18 F-150 Lightnings with suspicious packaging were shipped to dealers and customers during the four-week period.
Ford dealers will replace the packaging on affected F-150 Lightnings for owners. Bergg said the packages were replaced as soon as they arrived. Customers will be notified as soon as possible.
Ford isn’t asking customers to park their electric trucks, stop driving, or stop charging because they Passed pre-delivery quality inspection, connected vehicle data showed no abnormalitiesThere have been no reports of accidents or injuries from this recall, with the only fire occurring at Ford’s pre-delivery workshop.
Customers will be provided with a loaner vehicle while the truck battery is replaced.
Production of the F-150 Lightning was halted in February after a truck’s battery pack caught fire outside Ford’s Dearborn plant while it was awaiting pre-delivery quality checks. Immediately issue a stop construction order and an order to stop ships en route.
Once SK On and Ford determined that the problem was a battery manufacturing defect, the replacement part would be implemented in a new battery pack. Ford would not elaborate on what exactly the flaw is.
Bergg reiterated that production of the F-150 Lightning with a clean battery pack inventory will still restart on Monday.