Buyers waiting for the Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck may have to wait longer than expected.
On Tuesday, Ford spokeswoman Emma Bergg confirmed to Motor Authority that the F-150 Lightning has been placed on a stop-production and in-transit order due to a potential battery issue.
On Wednesday, Bergg confirmed the problem was with the truck’s battery. But late Wednesday, after a Detroit Free Press report linked the vehicle fire to the issue, Ford clarified that the F-150 Lightning caught fire outside the Dearborn plant as part of Ford’s pre-delivery quality inspections. .
The automaker is not aware of any incidents or issues related to this potential issue with customer-owned trucks on site, and no workers were injured in the incident.
As of Wednesday, Berger said Ford believed it had identified the root cause of the problem and the vehicles affected by it. The company hopes to conclude its investigation by the end of next week. Production of the Lightning will be suspended until at least the end of next week.
Information gained through this investigation will be used in Lightning’s battery production process, which could take several weeks, Bergg noted. The moratorium will remain in place as the company works through the aftermath of the problem during its engineering process.
No cease-and-desist notices have been issued, and all manufactured F-150 Lightning and dealerships are currently cleared for delivery as planned.
Since launching nearly a year ago, Lightning has raised prices three times. Starting at $57,869, the Lightning is now 38.9 percent more expensive than when it first went on sale.
UPDATE: This story, originally published on February 14, was updated on February 15 with Bergg’s new information on Ford’s timeline and confirmation that the issue is battery-related. Later on Feb. 15, Ford confirmed a vehicle fire at the plant, with further updates.