Ford's Critical Aluminum Plant Was Struck By Another Fire

Ford's supplier suffered one fire in September, which Ford estimates will cost it around $2 billion, per TechCrunch. The automaker had another fire in October, too, but in spite of this, production was set to resume next month. Other automakers, Stellantis (Jeep, Dodge), and Nissan were also affected by the fire. Ford was hit worst, scaling back F-150 Lightning production to focus on more popular gas and hybrid versions. The stoppage may already mean the Lightning, suffering from slow sales already, may never come back.

Another Blaze Puts The Lightning In Hot Water

A Wall Street Journal report alleges Ford executives are mulling over killing the truck entirely. Ford, for its part, is mum, telling multiple outlets it won’t comment or speculate on future product plans. The sudden shortage stemming from the fires has left many OEMs idling production while they wait for supply to catch up. At the time of the September fire, Ford told suppliers that it would cut production of vehicles (like the F-150 lineup) made at its Dearborn Truck Assembly plant by half until October 27. That timeline has likely changed following the two other fires.

The end of federal subsidies for electric vehicle purchases gutted EV sales in September, further hurting the Lightning. Ford suffered as well, despite its effort to keep incentives going in one way or another. This didn't last, though. After having cleared its post-EV credit plan with the IRS, Ford shut the program down abruptly after pressure from three Senators. Without subsidies, pricing once again becomes an issue, and with short supply for the foreseeable future, Ford is left with two choices: kill the Lightning or delay further production, for how long no one knows. Whether the Lightning can even make it into 2026 will depend on Ford's future plans for the electric truck and its available aluminum supply. Clearly, a surplus is needed to keep production going.