Ford F-150 Lightning Production to Be Paused Temporarily Due to Fire Incident at Aluminum Plant
Ford has announced that production of the F-150 Lightning will remain halted for the foreseeable future. Following a massive fire at the Novelis aluminum plant in Oswego, New York, the automaker will be shifting its production priorities to boost gas and hybrid F-Series production in the first quarter of 2026.
The company plans to build over 50,000 additional trucks next year to meet strong customer demand and recover from production losses caused by the fire. Ford is prioritizing gas and hybrid trucks as they are more profitable and use less aluminum compared to the Lightning model.
The fire, which occurred on September 16, damaged the building and could cost Blue Oval up to $1 billion as they recover from the disruption. Given the situation, prioritizing profitable models that use less aluminum makes sense for the automaker.
This move means employees at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, where the Lightning is built, will be reassigned to a new third shift to produce gas-powered pickups at Ford’s Dearborn Truck plant. Ford will also hire additional workers to support increased production, creating up to 900 new jobs.
Ford will also ramp up production at the Kentucky Truck plant, where the company will hire 100 new employees. With a $60 million investment in the facility, they aim to produce one additional truck per hour or over 5,000 trucks per year.
It’s unclear how long Ford will halt Lightning production. Electric truck sales rose nearly 40 percent in Q3 2025, with Ford selling over 10,000 pickups. However, sales for the Lightning 2026 model only increased by 1.0 percent, totaling 23,034 units sold this year.
This number is significantly lower compared to other F-Series models, as Ford nearly sold 200,000 gas and hybrid trucks in the last quarter and almost 600,000 by the end of September, up by 13 percent. Ford’s focus is on meeting consumer demand and preferences to stay competitive in the market.
