Ford's F-150 production faced another setback as a broken hood die forced a temporary halt at the assembly line.
The stoppage began Thursday evening and could last through Sunday, with the Memorial Day break extending the downtime to four days.
The broken die is a heavy-duty mold used to stamp aluminum into the F-150's hood panels.
Ford needs to repair it at a nearby stamping plant before resuming normal operations.
Impact on Output
The four-day shutdown may result in a loss of up to 2,500 trucks, based on two 10-hour shifts per day.
While Ford could typically absorb such a shortfall, the company is already struggling with inventory.
Ford recently revealed it is roughly 60,000 units short in F-150 inventory compared to last year.
The deficit stems from a fire at the Novelis aluminum plant in New York last September, which cut supplies by more than 40 percent.
To mitigate the loss, an unnamed source told the Detroit Free Press that Ford may run a 'super Saturday' or 'super Sunday' shift.
The company aims to increase F-Series output by 50,000 units in 2026 but acknowledges that won't be possible until later in the year.
