Ford (NYSE: F) has idled thousands of workers at its Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan over a supplier problem, halting F-150 production through at least Tuesday, September 29, according to an internal memo Reuters reviewed. Kansas City Assembly Plant in Missouri lost shifts to the same issue. Mark DePaoli, the UAW’s Region 1A director, told the Detroit Free Press that Ford has told 3,500 to 4,000 Dearborn workers to stay home, with downtime planned through September 30.
The carmaker hasn’t named the supplier. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters the problem has nothing to do with the aluminum shortage that has constrained F-Series output since late last year, when fires hit aluminum supplier Novelis. Jim Fisher, bargaining chair of UAW Local 249 in Kansas City, still suspects aluminum. Ford spokesman Dave Tovar told the Free Press the company doesn’t comment on supplier disruptions, and DePaoli said Ford also cited facility repairs.
Flashback: Ford Faces Supply Disruption After New York Aluminum Plant Fire
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At Kansas City, Fisher said Ford has canceled 15 F-150 shifts since September 1. “We’ve barely worked the last two weeks,” he said. Transit van production at the plant continues. Ford raised output at its Kentucky Truck Plant in Louisville to offset losses elsewhere. Fisher said the heavy-duty Super Duty line Kentucky builds, unlike Dearborn and Kansas City, hasn’t lost any production.
Last October, Ford added a third crew of 1,200 workers at Dearborn Truck and set a target of more than 45,000 extra F-150s in 2026. Analysts expect a weak third quarter for Detroit’s automakers, the Free Press reported, with sales figures due this week.
Ford is also preparing its Oakville Assembly Complex in Ontario to become the third plant building Super Duty trucks, alongside Kentucky Truck and Ohio Assembly. CEO Jim Farley said on the company’s July 28 earnings call that Oakville remains on schedule to start production before year’s end, eventually adding up to 100,000 Super Duty trucks a year to Ford’s North American output.
They announced the plan in July 2024, replacing a planned EV program at the site. Pre-production trucks have been coming off the line since April, and Ford now expects to spend roughly C$5 billion on the retool.
Ford confirmed to Ford Authority that Oakville-built Super Duty trucks are headed to both markets, exposing them to the 50% tariff President Trump has threatened on Canadian-built vehicles and parts starting January 1, 2027 — a threat that followed the collapse of US-Canada trade talks in August. Ford shares fell about 4% on the day the tariffs were announced.
Read: Trump Escalates Canada Trade War With 50% Auto Tariffs
