The Coolest Ford F-150 Lightning May Never Go On Sale, But You Can Try To Build Your Own

Ford has suspended F-150 Lightning production due to a shortage of the metal needed to build the full-size electric pickup.

Aluminum supplier Novelis had an aluminum plant in Oswego, N.Y., damaged by fire in September and it will be out of commission for several more weeks.

Novelis supplies all of the U.S. automakers from factories across the country, but the Ford F-Series was hit particularly hard due to its all-aluminum body.

Ford is expecting to lose up to 100,000 units of production this year and will increase next year’s planned output by 50,000 to help make up for it, when the Novelis plant is back on line.

In the meantime, Ford is shifting resources toward its internal combustion engine models and has reassigned 500 workers from the F-150 Lightning factory in Dearborn, Mich., to the main F-150 assembly line. Electric and internal combustion engine versions of the F-Series all use essentially the same body, so it’s a relatively easy move, as far as automobile production is concerned.

Ford hasn’t said when F-150 Lightning production will resume, but there is a looming possibility that it never will. It was on track to deliver around 32,000 this year out of more than 800,000 trucks across the entire F-Series lineup, so it is relatively small potatoes and not as profitable as the others. Production of the rest would likely need to catch up to demand before F-150 Lightning output restarts.

That could easily push it until the end of next year or later, which gets it close to the scheduled launch of Ford’s next generation full-size electric pickup, which is slated for 2028. Ford also has a Maverick-sized electric pickup on the way in 2027 that it says will have a starting price of $30,000 that could fill the EV truck space until the larger model arrives. Regardless of how things play out, the launch of the 2026 F-150 Lightning has been delayed and that means the first off-road F-150 Lightning trim isn’t going on sale anytime soon.

SEE IT: FORD’S $30,000 ELECTRIC PICKUP IS PROBABLY GOING TO LOOK LIKE A MUSTANG

Ford revealed the F-150 Lightning STX just a week before the Novelis fire. It would replace the XLT in the lineup and add new features. The STX was advertised at the same $63,345 starting price as the XLT, but with a larger Extended Range battery pack standard. It features 18-inch wheels with Goodyear Wrangler Territory AT all-terrain tires and the F-150 Tremor’s metal side steps. It also gets an e-locker rear differential, which is usually part of the F-150 Lightning’s optional Max Trailer Tow Package.

The STX was set to be rated at 290 miles of range, 536 horsepower and 775 lb.-ft. of torque, and Ford didn’t mention any major tweaks to the fully independent suspension system. That means it might not be too hard to recreate the model on your own.

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The 2025 XLT’s Standard Range battery pack is only good for 240 miles, and not on all-terrain tires which reduce that amount, but the $69,995 Flash trim comes with the Extended Range pack. It also has 20-inch wheels, but you can get a set of Wrangler Territory ATs that will fit them, although you might want the extra sidewall provided by an 18-inch wheel setup. The Max Trailer Tow Package is $1,100 and the Ford Performance catalog sells metal running boards for the same amount.

While the price looks higher on paper, it’s not to hard to find a Flash listed with incentives that bring it well below $60,000 right now, so the DIY STX could be a wash if you’re a smart shopper. The only thing you can’t get is the snazzy STX trim and upholstery package that was going to be available from the factory. Whether or not you’ll be able to ever get an STX from the factory is yet to be seen.

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