It looks as if Ford is taking its quality control seriously. Seriously enough that The Detroit Free Press says that all 2023 dealer stock orders of the F-150 Lightning have been canceled in the U.S.
Ford spokesman Marty Gunsberg confirmed that the electric pickups are being returned to Ford’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center for “additional quality checks.” “As a result, we have canceled some dealer stock orders not submitted as pre-sold” for model year 2023,” Gunsberg confirmed to Freep. The company is reassuring the public that none of this is safety related. They just want to make sure the truck’s quality is up to snuff.
Ford has been trying to crack down on its build quality lately as a series of very public recalls and issues have plagued some of the company’s hottest products. The company had the most recalls out of any automaker so far this year; 4.1 million vehicles had been recalled in 2023. Even as the company is trying to get things straight with the Lightning, drama is happening elsewhere; the NHTSA just announced that it was expanding its probe into Bronco engine failures. It’s all a part of a process of getting quality under control, something that CEO Jim Farley admitted would take several years.
With billions invested in EVs, Ford literally can’t afford not to get this right.