Ford F-150 Lightning Production Halted Indefinitely After Supplier Fire

Ford has confirmed that production of the F-150 Lightning at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center (REVC) will remain paused indefinitely following a fire at a Novelis aluminum plant.

The supplier incident has severely disrupted aluminum supply chains, forcing Ford to shift focus to its more profitable gas and hybrid F-150 models while the electric version stays offline.

Ford redirects aluminum supply

The pause, initially expected to last just one week, has now been extended with no clear timeline for restart. In its Q3 2025 financial report, Ford revealed that it is prioritizing vehicles less dependent on aluminum, including the internal combustion and hybrid F-150 models and the Super Duty lineup.

Workers at REVC will be reassigned to the neighboring Dearborn Truck Plant, joining a new third crew to support expanded production. This move allows Ford to sustain output of its most profitable vehicles while the Lightning line remains on hold.

Workforce reallocation and investments

Ford plans to boost F-150 output by 45,000 units in 2026 through workforce redistribution and plant upgrades. Roughly 1,200 REVC employees will transition to the Dearborn Truck Plant, supported by 90 new hires at Dearborn Stamping and 80 at Dearborn Diversified Manufacturing. The Kentucky Truck Plant will also add 100 employees to raise annual production by about 5,000 units. The automaker will invest $60 million in production line improvements and employee training to support these adjustments.

Ford expects these manufacturing changes to significantly reduce the estimated $2 billion EBIT loss caused by the Novelis fire, potentially cutting the impact in half by late 2026. Despite the ongoing Lightning pause, the company continues to position itself for a balanced approach between EV and traditional truck production once supply chains recover.

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