(NewsNation) — Ford has stopped building its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck for now because of a potential battery issue, according to a new report from Motor Authority.
The publication said Ford spokesperson Emma Bergg confirmed that both a stop-build and in-transit stop-ship order are in place for the truck. Bergg declined to elaborate on the potential battery issue, according to Motor Authority.
How long the orders will last depends on how long it will take to “conduct the root cause analysis,” Bergg said.
According to The New York Times, faults in high-voltage batteries can cause overheating, as well as intense fires. In another incident, General Motors for several months in 2021 and 2022 had to stop producing and shipping its Chevrolet Bolt electric compact after a manufacturing glitch caused a number of fires, the publication noted.
General Motors ultimately had to replace battery packs in all the Bolts it made from 2017 to 2021. Production on the Chevrolet Bolt resumed last year, per The Times.
The F-150 Lightning was first announced in 2021, and is expected to be one of the most significant electric vehicles to ever hit the market.
NewsNation business contributor Lydia Moynihan, a reporter for the New York Post, said with all this anticipation, the hope is that this is something Ford will address soon.
“This is a big technology they’ve invested billions in,” Moynihan said. “This battery issue is more of a technology than any other sort of thing that these car manufacturers are doing right now. And of course, this is the biggest that we’ve really seen with any electric truck to this date.”
Motor Authority reports that the F-150 Lightning has soared in price since it launched almost a year ago. Before, it was $57,869 but now, the Lightning is 38.9% more expensive than when it first went on sale. The electric pickup truck, which would be the first on the market, is being closely watched by investors, CNBC said. As of midafternoon Tuesday, shares of Ford were down about 1%, according to CNBC.