Though Ford’s new aluminum-bodied F-150 faced an initial uphill battle in the months after its unveiling early in 2014, since the truck’s launch in the fall, the automaker has largely eased any early concerns or questions customers may have had over durability, repair or insurance costs with the truck’s aluminum body.
However, despite indications of high demand for the new F-150 and periods of brisk sales since its launch, total F-Series truck sales fell 9.4 percent in May and are down 1.1 percent year-over-year. A major factor in those lower sales figures, as Automotive News reports, could an ongoing supply shortage of the new F-150 frame.
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AN reports Ford has been forced to slow production of the truck because it hasn’t received enough frames from Metalsa, a supplier in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
The publication reports Ford has been canceling overtime shifts at both its Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan and its Kansas City Assembly Plant due to the shortages for the “past several months.”
We reached out to Ford spokesman Mike Levine on the issue. Levine did not address the shortage, only stating that both the Dearborn and Kansas City plants have reached full production on the F-150 and noting the automaker is, “working closely with our suppliers to meet customer demand for the truck.”
