The fire was first reported Wednesday by the Detroit Free Press, after Motor Authority reported on the delay in production and shipments earlier this week.
The Lightning is a key part of Ford’s plans to reach an annual electric vehicle production rate of 600,000 by the end of this year and 2 million by 2026. Ford has added a third shift at the Dearborn plant that makes the Lightning as it works to boost annual output to 150,000 by the end of the year.
CEO Jim Farley has said the full-size pickup likely would determine whether the U.S. is ready to fully embrace EVs.
Ford, however, has been plagued by quality issues and trouble on several high-profile products. Last year, the automaker issued a stop-sale on the Mustang Mach-E as it recalled nearly 50,000 of the crossovers over a safety defect that could cause it to lose power.
Farley this month blamed long-standing execution issues, including high costs and quality problems, for the company’s $2 billion net loss in 2022.
