Production of the Ford F-150 Lightning will remain on pause, with Ford representatives confirming that the pause in production earlier this week was the result of battery fires on the electric pickup.

Automotive Newsconfirmed the reasoning for the stoppage being a result of a Lightning that caught fire during a pre-delivery inspection and propagated to a nearby woman. According to spokesperson Emma Bergg, Ford believes it has identified the problem behind the fire, but the company has not elaborated any further.

Bergg added that the automaker is not aware of any issues with examples that have already been delivered.

"By the end of next week, we expect to conclude our investigation and apply what we learn to the truck's battery production process; this could take a few weeks. We will continue holding already-produced vehicles while we work through engineering and process updates," said Bergg in a statement.

Ford has been plagued with a series of quality control issues and, in 2022, had more recalls than any other car manufacturer. The potential for a battery issue plaguing the Blue Oval's iconic electric truck would be a disaster for Ford, especially as it recovers from a challenging financial year.

Last year, the American giant had to recall 49,000 examples of the Mustang Mach-E over a problem with the main battery contactor that could potentially overheat.

CEO Jim Farley has admitted that Ford has serious quality problems that need to be brought under control. The chief executive described it as "deeply entrenched issues" and said that it is the "strength of our products and revenue has masked this dysfunctionality for a long time."

Battery fire troubles could cause serious problems for the automaker, especially as it accelerates its electric ambitions. Chevrolet's battery issues with the Bolt have tarnished the compact EV's reputation, even though battery designer LG was at fault. It's important to remember that it's not only EVs that catch fire, though, and Ram has just this week issued a recall for HD trucks that could also catch alight.

Production of the Lightning is expected to remain on pause until the end of next week, but the delay could extend beyond that point. Hopefully, for Ford's sake, the problem is rectified in good time, as demand for the electric pickup truck remains strong.