Bad News For The F Series

[rmc523]

Third Fire at Key Supplier Threatens Ford’s F-150 and SUV Production - Autoblog

 

A four-alarm fire broke out Thursday morning at the Novelis aluminum plant in Scriba, New York, marking the third major incident at the site within two months and creating a fresh setback for Ford’s already fragile supply chain. The Oswego County facility supplies 40% of all aluminum sheet used by U.S. automakers, and its output is especially critical to Ford’s aluminum-bodied trucks and SUVs. Emergency crews were dispatched at 8:45 a.m., evacuating all employees as thick black smoke poured from the roof and spread across the surrounding area.

Initial dispatch reports indicated the fire originated in the cold-mill section, the same area involved in September’s large blaze. Although the cause is still unknown, the repeated failures come at a difficult moment for Ford, which is already navigating production pauses, supply constraints and growing pressure around its long-term EV strategy and financial outlook.

 

 

 

Yeah, it's pretty crazy for repeated fires to happen.

[akirby]

This is starting to sound like sabotage…..

[tbone]

7 hours ago, akirby said:

This is starting to sound like sabotage…..

I see I’m not the only one thinking this. It’s awfully coincidental, isn’t it?

[SoonerLS]

8 hours ago, akirby said:

This is starting to sound like sabotage…..

One time is chance. Two times is coincidence. Three times is enemy action…

[Joe771476]

18 hours ago, akirby said:

This is starting to sound like sabotage…..

You mean you agree with me?

[Bob Rosadini]

Well if I had to bet I would say "haste makes waste".  In the rush to correct the first problem they may have missed something.  Roof? Thick black smoke? Says to me perhaps some stack/exhaust system improperly connected and the roofing material caught fire.

[akirby]

3 hours ago, Joe771476 said:

You mean you agree with me?

Can I change my answer? 😂

[akirby]

12 hours ago, SoonerLS said:

One time is chance. Two times is coincidence. Three times is enemy action…

I suppose it could be gross incompetence…..

[blazerdude20]

1 hour ago, akirby said:

I suppose it could be gross incompetence…..

Remember Hanlon’s Razor

 

“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity”

[twintornados]

26 minutes ago, blazerdude20 said:

Remember Hanlon’s Razor

 

“Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity”

 

That can cover a LOT of things for sure......love it!!

[Joe771476]

On 11/22/2025 at 12:58 PM, akirby said:

Can I change my answer? 😂

No!

[rmc523]

Ford Issues Joint Statement With Novelis, Reaffirms Guidance

 

"Ford Motor Company and Novelis are providing an update following a fire incident at the Novelis Oswego aluminum plant on Nov. 20. The fire was swiftly contained and the plant was safely evacuated with no injuries to employees, contractors or first responders.

As of this morning, the cold mill and heat treatment operations at the Novelis Oswego plant are back up and running. The facility continues to ship finished material to supply Ford. Novelis will continue to leverage alternate sources, including its global network of plants and industry peers, to mitigate impact.

Meanwhile, Novelis is committing to strengthen the U.S. aluminum supply chain for its customers by building a new plant in Bay Minette, Alabama, which will begin commissioning in the second half of 2026.

Ford reaffirms its full-year 2025 adjusted EBIT guidance of $6 billion to $6.5 billion and full year adjusted free cash flow of $2 billion to $3 billion.

Novelis and Ford will continue to provide updates as further details become available."

[twintornados]

23 hours ago, rmc523 said:

...Meanwhile, Novelis is committing to strengthen the U.S. aluminum supply chain for its customers by building a new plant in Bay Minette, Alabama, which will begin commissioning in the second half of 2026.

 

Much to the chagrin of the "tax happy" State of NY, I'm sure.....

[Sherminator98]

4 hours ago, twintornados said:

 

Much to the chagrin of the "tax happy" State of NY, I'm sure.....

 

Hopefully COVID and other things have taught companies not to put all of their eggs into a single basket. 

[rmc523]

Ford Super Duty Production Increased Despite Fallout From Plant Fire

 

In total, Ford Super Duty production in November increased by 1,028 units or around 4.5 percent, from 22,648 to 23,676.

 

total F-150 output declined from 30,308 units in October to 21,069 in November, which is a difference of 9,239 units, or a little over 30 percent.

 

However, both Ford and Novelis maintain that production at the aluminum plant is expected to get back on track this month, which should help expedite that recovery.

[7Mary3]

Interesting, I wonder if Ford maintained Super Duty production at the expense of F-150 production.  Nonethless, it could have been worse and if the plant is back on line on schedule F-150 production should catch up quickly.  

[Biker16]

On 11/25/2025 at 9:48 AM, twintornados said:

 

Much to the chagrin of the "tax happy" State of NY, I'm sure.....

 

 At least NYS doesn't tax food. 

[blksn8k2]

I had a deer hit the side of my '23 F-150 Tremor about two weeks ago. It hit the very bottom edge of the passenger side front door at full speed pushing it in about 1". I'm sure the running board took the brunt of the hit but was surprisingly undamaged. The following day I contacted my insurance company and took it to my local Ford dealer's collision center that same day. They gave me an estimate that was over $3600 to replace the damaged door with a new door and set me up with a scheduled repair date of 12/16/25.

 

However, because of supply issues that I assume are related to the aluminum plant fires, I got a call from the dealer a day or two later saying that Ford could not give them ANY time frame on when they could expect to receive a replacement door. 

 

I'm still debating whether to ask if the insurance company or body shop would even consider using a used door from a wrecking yard. I also assume the cost would be much lower, especially if they could find one in the same color.

 

On a side note, I also asked the estimator if they would replace the entire door shell or just the outer skin. He said that they no will longer even try to replace the outer skin because when they have tried that approach, which was the common method on steel doors, they almost always break some of the aluminum tabs when they try to bend and crimp them over the inner shell. He also stated that if that happens, the shop has to cover the cost of the skin because the insurance companies won't cover something that they damaged during the repair process.

 

So while aluminum is lighter and more corrosion resistant, it is also much more expensive to repair or replace than steel.  

[twintornados]

27 minutes ago, blksn8k2 said:

So while aluminum is lighter and more corrosion resistant, it is also much more expensive to repair or replace than steel.  

 

Sorry, couldn't resist...

 

Edited December 14, 2025 by twintornados

[92merc]

Personally, I check with some paintless dent repair places before replacing the door.  You'd be surprised at how well they can fix some of those major looking dents.  I saw a cab corner on an aluminum super duty get repaired on a YouTube video.  That was easily a fist sized smack with creases on a corner no less.  Came out looking new.

[SoonerLS]

7 hours ago, blksn8k2 said:

I'm still debating whether to ask if the insurance company or body shop would even consider using a used door from a wrecking yard. I also assume the cost would be much lower, especially if they could find one and the same color.

Personally, as long as it isn’t affecting drivability (assuming you don’t have alternate transportation), I’d just wait for the new door. Even if they can find one in the same color, they’ll probably have to end up repainting it to get a good color match, so I doubt it’d be any cheaper—the part would probably be cheaper, but there’d be more labor in the used door, seeing as how they’d have to strip in in addition to prepping it for paint, and the labor is where the real cost is.

[blksn8k2]

On 12/14/2025 at 5:03 PM, SoonerLS said:

Personally, as long as it isn’t affecting drivability (assuming you don’t have alternate transportation), I’d just wait for the new door. Even if they can find one in the same color, they’ll probably have to end up repainting it to get a good color match, so I doubt it’d be any cheaper—the part would probably be cheaper, but there’d be more labor in the used door, seeing as how they’d have to strip in in addition to prepping it for paint, and the labor is where the real cost is.

The way the dealer's estimator made it sound it could be months before they can get a door from Ford. I'm taking it for another estimate tomorrow to the same shop that painted my '70 Mach 1. I have also located several different recyclers that have the door I need in the same color as my truck. I also talked to my insurance agent and he assured me that the insurance company will go along with whatever I decide. They don't want me driving around in a dented truck any longer than I do. Even if the shop has to repaint a door that started out the same color as mine I don't really care because it is covered by insurance. My deductible doesn't change regardless. The only thing that would be a potential show stopper would be if Ford has already billed the dealer for a new door which I doubt they would do unless it has already been shipped.

 

On 12/14/2025 at 9:42 AM, twintornados said:

 

Sorry, couldn't resist...

 

 

 Not everyone who reads these posts is as knowledgeable about bodywork and metallurgy as you obviously must be. I couldn't resist either. 😉

[blksn8k2]

Turns out all of those used doors that I thought I had found were actually just the same door listed by multiple yards. They all had the same stock number for the donor truck and every listing had the same photos and description. That same door was also listed on eBay by one of the recyclers from Florida.

 

I was in the process of negotiating offers for that door on eBay when I decided to give my local Ford dealer one more call just to make sure they had not found a door and if they had not I was going to tell them that I was taking the work to another shop. After making that call I would then complete the purchase on eBay. As a matter fact, I had already told the dealer the day before what my alternate plan was and that I had already found a used door but would wait one more day before making a final decision. That apparently lit a fire under their butts.

 

What happened next was crazy. When I picked up my phone to call the dealer it started ringing with an incoming call. I kid you not it was from the dealer! Their estimator Shaun said "Hey, guess what? I pulled a few strings and found a new door."

 

The new schedule to drop the truck off at the dealer is 12/29. Whew, talk about cutting it close! I should have gone right out and bought a lottery ticket. 😁

[ausrutherford]

Has Ford scheduled any extra weekend shifts to catch up on production?

[mackinaw]

12 minutes ago, ausrutherford said:

Has Ford scheduled any extra weekend shifts to catch up on production?

 

From the Detroit News:

 

"following multiple fires this fall at a Novelis Inc. aluminum plant in New York. It'll hire a new third crew of 1,200 employees at Dearborn Truck in 2026 to make up for lost production".

 

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/ford/2025/12/15/ford-model-e-q4-charge-ev-2029-profitable-f-150-lightning-erev-skon-blueoval/87778986007/#:~:text=F-150s following multiple fires this,make up for lost production.