Production of Ford Motor Co.’s best-selling F-150 pickup truck has been halted for nearly a week at the Dearborn Truck Plant due to a supply problem, according to an internal memo viewed by Reuters. The shutdown, which began Thursday, Sept. 24, and extends through Tuesday, Sept. 29, affects all production crews at the Detroit-area manufacturing complex, according to reporting by Nora Eckert for Reuters.
Production Impacts Across Ford Facilities
The supply disruption extends beyond the Dearborn facility. Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Plant has also canceled several shifts this week because of the same parts shortage, according to a person familiar with the matter cited by Reuters. To help offset the manufacturing deficit, the Kentucky Truck Plant near Louisville increased its own truck production, the source said.
Losing nearly a week of output creates substantial financial strain for the automaker, particularly given the flagship status of the F-Series, which has remained America’s best-selling vehicle for 44 years. Ford is currently working to recover from a previous manufacturing bottleneck caused by a fire at an aluminum supplier late last year, an incident that stripped tens of thousands of vehicles from the company’s production totals.
Broader Market and Sales Pressures
Ford reported that its overall U.S. vehicle sales fell roughly 10% year-over-year through August, while sales of the F-Series dropped 11% over the same timeframe, according to Reuters.
Cox Automotive projects that both Ford and General Motors Co. will have lost more market share in the United States through the first three quarters than any other automakers this year, according to Cox Automotive. Cox Automotive forecasts that combined sales for Hyundai and Kia will surpass Ford during the third quarter, marking the first time the Korean automakers have achieved that quarterly milestone.
Unresolved Supplier Questions
While the company manages the current shutdown, the exact identity of the troubled vendor remains unconfirmed. A person familiar with the matter stated that the latest parts shortage is entirely unrelated to the aluminum supplier fire that disrupted assembly lines late last year. Reuters reported that it was unable to determine which specific supplier is at the center of the ongoing production changes.
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