On the Dash:
- Ford halted F-150 production at Dearborn Truck Plant through Sept. 30, affecting roughly 3,500 to 4,000 workers.
- Kansas City Assembly has canceled 15 F-150 shifts since Sept. 1 as workers report ongoing parts shortages.
- Dealers could see tighter F-150 availability if the disruptions continue, and no source has said how many trucks Ford will lose.
Ford Motor halted F-150 production at its Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan on Sept. 24, and a Ford memo viewed by Reuters shows the shutdown lasting through Sept. 29. Ford also canceled an F-150 shift on Sept. 25 at its Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Missouri, though Transit van production there continues.
UAW Region 1A Director Mark DePaoli told the Detroit Free Press the Dearborn plant would stay down through Sept. 30, and that the automaker tied the timing partly to needed facility repairs as well as the supplier issue. He said about 3,500 to 4,000 Dearborn Truck Plant workers are staying home.
Meanwhile, UAW Local 249 Bargaining Chair Jim Fisher said Ford has attributed the Kansas City cancellations to what the company calls a lack of parts. Fisher said Ford has canceled 15 F-150 shifts at the plant since Sept. 1, and the company usually gives him very late notice. The plant employs about 8,600 workers, and roughly half of them build the F-150.Â
Aluminum supply problems continue
Neither Ford nor the union has confirmed which supplier or part is behind the disruption. Fisher said he thinks aluminum is the problem, but a person familiar with the matter told Reuters the shortage is unrelated to the Novelis aluminum fires.
Ford has struggled to keep F-150 production on pace since late last year, when two fires at aluminum supplier Novelis created a shortage. Company leaders had said Ford was on course to make up the lost production by the end of the year. The latest disruptions could complicate that recovery.
Fisher said Ford had intended to build about 67,200 model year 2026 F-150s through the end of the year. However, no source has said how many vehicles Ford will ultimately lose, and F-150 availability at dealers could tighten if the interruptions continue.
Ford builds its heavy-duty F-250 at the Kentucky Truck Plant, and Fisher said he is unaware of any disruption there.
