Ford idles Louisville Assembly over software issue with Escape

Ford Motor Co. idled its Louisville Assembly Plant this week over a software issue that's affecting the recently freshened Escape crossover, according to the plant's building chairman.

It's the second Ford plant down this week due to quality problems; the automaker has also halted production and shipments of the F-150 Lightning, built in Dearborn, Mich., over a potential battery issue.

Workers in Louisville were told late last week the plant would be idled Feb. 13-19, according to a memo obtained by Automotive News.

In a separate message, the plant's building chairman, Brandon Reisinger, said it was a software issue with the vehicle's cluster.

"We're on a day-by-day basis right now and I know that's frustrating," Reisinger told employees. "The issue we've got, the cluster, is a software issue. It's not a hardware issue. If it were to get out, it would not be something that would endanger anybody … but it would have the vehicles coming back to the dealership."

The automaker declined to disclose further information about the problem.

"We are committed to ensuring our vehicles are built with the quality our customers deserve and will take the appropriate actions to deliver this commitment," Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said in an emailed statement.

Ford last year freshened the Escape and Lincoln Corsair crossovers for the 2023 model year with new exterior styling and technology. The plant is currently in the pre-production phase of the updated Escape launch.

Reisinger noted the plant intended to make up the lost units of production when work resumes, which is expected to be Monday.

The plant downtime was reported this week by WDRB News in Louisville.

Small recall, delivery hold

In another development, Ford said it is recalling and issuing a delivery hold on less than 1,000 model year 2022 and 2023 F-150s, Broncos, Explorers, Lincoln Aviators and Mustangs in the U.S. over issues with their 10-speed automatic transmissions.

According to a dealer memo, the transmissions in the vehicles may contain a loose, extra bolt introduced during the assembly process that could prevent it from achieving park, even if the shifter indicates the vehicle is in park.

Spokesman Said Deep said the company is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issue, which potentially involves 944 total vehicles, although the company anticipates only 3 percent of those will be affected. About 600 of the vehicles are unsold, he said.

The recall memo was posted to a Bronco owners forum earlier Wednesday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expected post the recall tomorrow, Deep said.