Ford F-150 hit by another delivery pause in Australia

For the second time in less than six months, the Ford F-150 pickup has been affected by another delivery pause in Australia.

Ford dealers were advised earlier today that shipments of the F-150 from RMA Automotive – which converts the pickup from left- to right-hand drive in Melbourne – have been paused due to an undisclosed issue.

At present, there’s no recall for the new issue, and Ford wouldn’t detail what it is.

However, it hasn’t stopped F-150s already in stock at Ford dealers from being delivered to customers, and the RMA Automotive production line is still operating.

“Ford Australia has placed a temporary hold on F-150s that are on their way to dealers, as we work through a potential issue,” a company spokesperson told CarExpert.

“We understand the inconvenience this may cause and we thank customers for their patience.”

Since Ford F-150 deliveries to Australian customers began in December 2023, the pickup has been hit by three recalls.

Sales and customer deliveries were also halted on January 1, 2024 after a turbocharger fault during the remanufacturing process was discovered, which could cause the pickup to go into limp mode.

Less than a month later, the F-150 was hit with a recall for a steering fault, with owners told to stop driving immediately due to a risk of the steering rack separating from the intermediate shaft.

A second recall came in the following weeks, this time for a clock spring defect which could lead to the driver’s airbag not functioning in a crash.

The third and most recent recall was issued last month, this time due to the F-150’s side direction indicator lamps being non-compliant with Australian Design Rules (ADRs).

The Ford F-150 is the only North American pickup sold in Australia through manufacturer showrooms that hasn’t been converted from left- to right-hand drive by Walkinshaw Automotive Group.

Australian-delivered Ram 1500s have been converted to right-hand drive by Walkinshaw – the former parent of Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) – and its importer Ateco in a venture branded as American Special Vehicles (ASV).

The Chevrolet Silverado 1500 was also being converted in the same building as the Ram 1500 for a period, however demand for the latter saw the former operation moved to a smaller facility in 2022.

Toyota also enlisted the help of Walkinshaw to perform the necessary conversion for the Tundra, though it’s understood the 12-month wait for it to go on sale to the wider public is to make sure the program is up to the car giant’s rigorous standards.

Ironically, Walkinshaw’s Supercars racing team races Ford Mustangs, having previously been associated with Holden since the 1990s and currently handling its Silverado conversions.

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