- Ford's SUV production was paused due to aluminum supply issues from a factory fire.
- The fire at a Novelis plant could affect operations until early 2026.
- Novelis produces aluminum that is purchased by multiple automakers.
Ford Motor Company is temporarily stopping production of at least five models, including popular SUVs, following a fire at a crucial aluminum supplier’s plant.
Starting this week, Ford won’t be producing its popular three-row SUVs, the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, at its Kentucky Truck Plant because of difficulties with aluminum supply, per The Wall Street Journal.
The production pause is set to last a week, according to a memo the company sent to workers.
Ford has not provided details on its production adjustments but it said last week that it was working closely with Novelis, the aluminum supplier whose plant burned last month. The company is exploring “all possible alternatives to minimize any potential disruptions,” according to The Wall Street Journal.
The fire that caused the aluminum shortage
A fire burned at Novelis’ plant in upstate New York on Sept. 16 and it is expected to take much of the aluminum factory down until the first quarter of 2026, according to Reuters.
Typically, Novelis produces 350,000 metric tons of sheet aluminum a year across its six facilities in the U.S. The plant that burned supplies around 40% of the aluminum sheet that is used by the auto industry in the U.S., per The Wall Street Journal.
Ford is also the biggest customer of the plant and its F-150 pickup is one of the industry’s biggest users of aluminum. The F-150 is also the top-selling truck in the U.S. and Ford’s main profit driver.
It could take until March or April to get the Novelis plant operating fully again. Meanwhile, Ford could import aluminum from other countries.
How the aluminum shortage is impacting Ford
According to The Wall Street Journal, after the fire, analysts warned that the automaker could lose up to $1 billion of operating profit if production of the F-series pickups was lost. So far, Ford has been able to continue production of these trucks at its Kentucky factory.
“They’re focusing all their energy on making sure all their F-150s get built,” said Sam Fiorani, an analyst with consulting firm AutoForecast Solutions, per The Wall Street Journal.
This year, Ford is already facing $2 billion in costs relating to President Donald Trump’s tariff policies on top of $5 billion in losses by its electric-vehicle unit.
Despite those losses, Ford’s stock is up about 20% so far this year after benefiting from loosened fuel-economy regulations.
Ford’s plant in Dearborn, Michigan, is also facing production issues from the aluminum shortage.
According to The Daily Mail, Ford’s stock dropped 1.5% during early morning trading on Tuesday and its shares are down over 5% over the last five days.
Another one of Novelis’ customers is Toyota, which is looking for alternative aluminum sources for its North American plant and hasn’t had any production disruptions yet.