Marketdash
Back to News

Ford's EV Sales Crater 60% as Supply Chain Fire, Recalls, and Policy Headwinds Collide

MarketDash Editorial Team
5 days ago
Ford's electric vehicle sales dropped 60% in November as the automaker battles a perfect storm of challenges: a fire at a key supplier, widespread recalls, labor shortages, and uncertainty around federal EV tax credits.

Ford Motor Co. (F) is having a rough patch with its electric vehicle lineup, and November's numbers tell the story pretty clearly. The automaker sold just 4,247 EVs last month, a steep 60.8% drop from the 10,821 units it moved in November 2024. It's not a great look for a company trying to establish itself in the electric vehicle market.

Mustang Mach-E Takes a Hit, But It's Not All Bad News

The Mustang Mach-E saw sales fall 49.2% in November, with Ford moving 3,014 units compared to 5,938 during the same month last year. But here's the interesting part: year-to-date sales for the Mach-E actually grew 6.7%, reaching 47,882 units versus 44,877 in 2024. So while November was rough, the electric crossover has been holding its own for most of the year.

Ford's overall EV sales from January through November hit 78,556 units, down 7.3% from last year's 84,774. Not catastrophic, but definitely trending in the wrong direction.

The F-150 Lightning's Particularly Bad Month

The electric pickup had it worse. F-150 Lightning sales collapsed 72.4% in November, with only 1,006 units sold compared to 3,643 last year. The timing makes sense when you consider that Ford recently paused production after a fire at a key aluminum supplier disrupted the supply chain.

Year-to-date numbers aren't much better, with Lightning sales down 9.6% to 25,583 units from 28,313 in 2024. There's talk that Ford might scrap the Lightning entirely, which would be a significant move considering it was the best-selling electric pickup in the country. CEO Jim Farley has pushed back on that narrative, though, saying Ford remains committed to EVs and won't "cede" the market to Chinese competitors.

A Pile-Up of Problems

The sales decline isn't happening in isolation. Ford is dealing with a cascade of operational challenges that would stress any automaker. The company has issued 137 recalls so far this year, including a recent one affecting over 250,000 units of the 2025-2026 Bronco and Bronco Sport due to instrument panel issues. Another recall hit 20,558 Ford Escape models from 2020-2024 and Lincoln Corsair plug-in hybrids from 2021-2024 over battery problems.

Then there's the labor shortage. Farley has been vocal about the company's struggle to fill more than 5,000 open positions for skilled technicians, jobs that pay six-figure salaries to work in Ford's service workshops. The shortage has left over 6,000 service bays empty across Ford dealerships nationwide, which creates its own set of headaches for customer service and brand reputation.

Add in the uncertainty around federal EV tax credits under the current administration, and you've got a challenging environment for selling electric vehicles.

Price Action: Ford (F) shares declined 1.52% to close at $12.96, according to market data.

Back to News

Ford's EV Sales Crater 60% as Supply Chain Fire, Recalls, and Policy Headwinds Collide

MarketDash Editorial Team
5 days ago
Ford's electric vehicle sales dropped 60% in November as the automaker battles a perfect storm of challenges: a fire at a key supplier, widespread recalls, labor shortages, and uncertainty around federal EV tax credits.

Ford Motor Co. (F) is having a rough patch with its electric vehicle lineup, and November's numbers tell the story pretty clearly. The automaker sold just 4,247 EVs last month, a steep 60.8% drop from the 10,821 units it moved in November 2024. It's not a great look for a company trying to establish itself in the electric vehicle market.

Mustang Mach-E Takes a Hit, But It's Not All Bad News

The Mustang Mach-E saw sales fall 49.2% in November, with Ford moving 3,014 units compared to 5,938 during the same month last year. But here's the interesting part: year-to-date sales for the Mach-E actually grew 6.7%, reaching 47,882 units versus 44,877 in 2024. So while November was rough, the electric crossover has been holding its own for most of the year.

Ford's overall EV sales from January through November hit 78,556 units, down 7.3% from last year's 84,774. Not catastrophic, but definitely trending in the wrong direction.

The F-150 Lightning's Particularly Bad Month

The electric pickup had it worse. F-150 Lightning sales collapsed 72.4% in November, with only 1,006 units sold compared to 3,643 last year. The timing makes sense when you consider that Ford recently paused production after a fire at a key aluminum supplier disrupted the supply chain.

Year-to-date numbers aren't much better, with Lightning sales down 9.6% to 25,583 units from 28,313 in 2024. There's talk that Ford might scrap the Lightning entirely, which would be a significant move considering it was the best-selling electric pickup in the country. CEO Jim Farley has pushed back on that narrative, though, saying Ford remains committed to EVs and won't "cede" the market to Chinese competitors.

A Pile-Up of Problems

The sales decline isn't happening in isolation. Ford is dealing with a cascade of operational challenges that would stress any automaker. The company has issued 137 recalls so far this year, including a recent one affecting over 250,000 units of the 2025-2026 Bronco and Bronco Sport due to instrument panel issues. Another recall hit 20,558 Ford Escape models from 2020-2024 and Lincoln Corsair plug-in hybrids from 2021-2024 over battery problems.

Then there's the labor shortage. Farley has been vocal about the company's struggle to fill more than 5,000 open positions for skilled technicians, jobs that pay six-figure salaries to work in Ford's service workshops. The shortage has left over 6,000 service bays empty across Ford dealerships nationwide, which creates its own set of headaches for customer service and brand reputation.

Add in the uncertainty around federal EV tax credits under the current administration, and you've got a challenging environment for selling electric vehicles.

Price Action: Ford (F) shares declined 1.52% to close at $12.96, according to market data.