Ford F-150 Lightning recall reveals reason for battery fireplace

2023-03-23 07:27:23

The Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration (NHTSA) has revealed the foundation reason for the battery fires that halted Ford (F) F-150 Lightning manufacturing.

Again in early February a battery defect resulted in a fireplace in an F-150 Lightning that was awaiting remaining inspection, and the fireplace unfold to 2 different autos. Ford halted manufacturing then as battery provider SK On discovered an answer, with manufacturing restarting on March thirteenth.

Now recall paperwork launched by NHTSA element precisely what occurred in these autos, resulting in the recall of 18 Ford F-150 Lightnings.

In one of NHTSA’s safety recall reports associated to the F-150 battery situation, the report said a producing defect within the battery cells “might lead to an inner quick circuit when the excessive voltage battery is at a excessive state of cost… which might lead to a fireplace.”

The report went on to element that the defect was as a consequence of “manufacturing course of deviations on the provider [where] the cathode aluminum tabs might contact the anode electrode materials inflicting an inner quick circuit” when the battery is at a “excessive state of cost.”

Ford F-150 Lightning battery and powertrain diagram

The report said that Ford was in a position to replicate the problem, and will hint the faulty battery packs right down to the precise autos that had them put in, resulting in the recall of these 18 F-150 Lightnings. Remediation of the problem would require the set up of latest battery packs put in freed from cost.

Ford additionally reported that no F-150 Lightnings within the discipline suffered from any battery quick circuits resulting in fires.

“Within the weeks forward, we’ll proceed to use our learnings and work with SK On’s workforce to make sure we proceed delivering high-quality battery packs – right down to the battery cells,” a Ford spokesperson advised Yahoo Finance in a press release when the automaker introduced it might be restarting manufacturing.

Whereas it’s a optimistic that Ford was in a position to diagnose and repair the battery situation, the large query for buyers and analysts is whether or not Ford’s manufacturing and reliability points are going to plague its F-150 Lightning rollout, which remains to be in its nascent stage and figures to be an enormous development driver for its EV unit within the years to return.