A Ford F-150 truck is assembled at the Ford River Rouge Complex on January 13, 2026 in Dearborn, Michigan.
Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images
Detroit — ford motor The company is ramping up production of its critical F-series trucks after a fire at an aluminum supplier significantly impacted production over the past year.
The automaker confirmed to CNBC on Wednesday that production of its highly profitable Super Duty trucks hit a 20-year high last month, and production of the F-150 pickup hit its highest level in two years.
Ford’s F-Series trucks (including the F-150 and larger “Super Duty” models such as the F-250, F-350, and F-450) were severely affected by supplier issues due to their large aluminum bodies and other components.
The Detroit automaker has spent the past year helping aluminum supplier Novelis get its affected Oswego, New York, factory back up and running after fires last September and November.
Rob Caffle, Ford’s head of U.S. sales, said the increase in production means a large number of pickup trucks are expected to arrive on dealer lots in the coming weeks and months.
“We are ramping up production. Dealers will start seeing production ramp up within the next 30, 60, 90 days,” Kafur said Wednesday. “We have a healthy chain in transit and in the system.”
Ford said more than 39,000 Super Duty units were produced in August, the best month since March 2006, and F-150 production was the highest since August 2024.
Ford Pro’s business is driven by sales of the automaker’s Super Duty trucks, from the F-150 to commercial trucks and chassis cabs.
The increase in pickup truck supply comes after Ford experienced its eighth straight month of year-over-year declines in U.S. new vehicle sales in August. The automaker reported Wednesday that sales for the month fell 10.3% from the same month last year.
“I would say the total inventory of incoming products is getting back to normal, to the normal levels that dealers have,” Kafur said.
Ford said Wednesday that F-Series sales continued to decline 10.9% year over year through August, including a 1.2% decline last month.
Ford dealers currently have about 40 days worth of pickup trucks in stock, about half of what the industry generally considers a healthy level for these vehicles. Kafur reiterated that Ford is targeting truck supply times of 50 to 60 days, compared to historical industry levels of 75 to 90 days.
“We are very intentional about making sure our production meets demand,” he said.
To meet this pent-up demand, Ford is ramping up production to higher levels than last year to make up for lost production. The Novelis issue is expected to cost automakers $1.5 billion this year.
In addition to the pickup truck problems, Ford said sales were also affected by the discontinuation of two vehicles earlier this year, making comparisons difficult, and a reduction in its daily rental vehicle sales plan.
Ford also said Labor Day, historically a big sales weekend, will be a point of comparison because it falls in September this year compared to August last year.
The company noted that despite the year-over-year sales decline, its U.S. retail market share, excluding sales to fleet customers, remained relatively flat at 11.7% as of August of this year.
U.S. automakers are experiencing weak sales across the board, with Ford predicting a 6% decline in new vehicle sales across the industry.
