Lordstown Motors Corp. has temporarily stopped production and customer deliveries due to performance and quality issues, the electric vehicle maker announced Thursday. Additionally, the company has initiated a voluntary recall of the Endurance all-electric pickup truck, which is built at the Foxconn EV manufacturing site in Lordstown, Ohio.
Last year Lordstown Motors reached an agreement with Hon Hai Technology Corp., which owns Foxconn, to buy Lordstown’s manufacturing plant and take over manufacturing of the pickup truck.
The issues that have stopped production relate to specific Endurance components. Lordstown Motors said it is working with suppliers to find the root causes and develop solutions, which could include part design modifications, retrofits and software updates.
The recall of the Endurance relates to an electrical connection issue that could result in a loss of propulsion while driving, according to the announcement. Nineteen vehicles in customers’ hands or in use by Lordstown Motors are impacted, as are an unidentified number of vehicles awaiting shipment or in production at the plant. The company is working with its suppliers on corrective actions.
“While our experienced team has made significant progress in addressing the underlying component and vehicle sub-system issues affecting the Endurance build schedule, we remain committed to doing the right thing by our customers and to resolve potential issues before resuming production and customer shipments,” said Edward Hightower, Lordstown Motors CEO and president said.
Production of Endurance vehicles began in the third quarter of 2022. While Lordstown Motors has contracted with Hon Hai to manufacture its vehicles, it has engineering and R&D facilities in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and Irvine, California.
Lordstown Motors is slated to release its fiscal 2022 financial results before the market opens on March 6. The company said it will provide an update on the production and quality issues at that time.
