- Ford faces aluminum shortages after supplier fires disrupt key production pipeline.
- US government declines tariff relief, leaving automakers absorbing rising costs.
- F-Series output and sales impacted as supply issues affect production schedules.
Ford builds America’s favorite vehicle, but right now building those F-150s is proving difficult, and the automaker thinks the US government could be doing more to help.
The Blue Oval’s big truck blues started with a fire, or rather two of them. A major aluminum supplier in New York went offline after separate incidents last year, cutting off a crucial source of the lightweight metal Ford relies on for its truck bodies. Stellantis and GM are also affected.
Related: Ford Sales Falter, Hurt By The Trucks It Counts On And The Model It Killed
That wouldn’t be ideal in any situation, but things got more complicated fast. Replacement aluminum is coming from overseas, which means it’s now hit with hefty import duties of 50 percent. Those costs don’t magically disappear; they get passed straight on to automakers,
Washington’s Not Interested
Ford has reportedly asked for some breathing room, hoping the government might ease those tariffs until the plant is back up and running. So far, that request has gone nowhere, officials pointing out that the industry has already received some relief in other areas, such as on imported car parts.
Ford has “not requested tariff relief on this matter in a particularly pronounced way,” The White House told the Wall Street Journal about the automaker’s request for help with its aluminum. More worrying is a recent change in the tariff system that shifts the focus from the metal itself to where it ends up. That could potentially mean a 25 percent duty is slapped on finished F-150s built in the US because they contain imported aluminum.
Production, Sales Slowdown
Meanwhile, the impact is already showing up where it matters most. F-Series production has been uneven, with supply hiccups forcing Ford to juggle schedules and delay some deliveries. Sales have taken a hit too, with the truck lineup seeing a big 16 percent drop in Q1 as inventory tightens. The automaker’s Q1 overall US sales have suffered an 8 percent fall.
Can I Interest Sir In A Ranger?
Ford has tried to steer buyers toward other models, Auto News reports, but let’s be honest, people who want an F-150 usually want an F-150, not a midsize truck like the Ranger. The company is doing what it can to recover, including ramping up production later in the year and skipping the usual factory downtime in the coming summer months to make up lost ground. But it’s a warning that the F-150 supply will be affected throughout 2026.
Financially, the situation isn’t pretty either. The fire disruption already cost Ford $2 billion last year and will rob them of a further $1 billion in 2026, the WSJ says.
