Lucas Bell 
With Detroit’s automakers slated to start working again next week for the first time since mid-March, it isn’t too surprising to hear that there are going to be some delays involved. Thanks to the team over at the F-150 Gen 14 forum, we now know that the 2021 Ford F-150 may experience its second major production delay in recent months, thanks to a leaked Fleet Distribution New Bulletin.
According to the Fleet Distribution New Bulletin posted to the forum site, the 2021 Ford F-150 order acceptance date has been pushed back for the second time this year. Originally orders were supposed to open on May 11, with the coronavirus pandemic causing Ford to reschedule the book opening for June 15. Now however, it looks as if the Blue Oval will not be accepting orders for the next-generation pickup trucks until July 15.
As one might expect, the delay on orders will also apply to the production of the 2021 Ford F-150. The first batch of the next-gen trucks are now expected to begin production on October 12 at the Dearborn Truck Plant, and on November 9 at Ford’s other F-150 facility in Kansas City, Missouri. These new dates are two weeks behind the targets Ford had previously set. The only date on the F-150’s summer calendar that remains unchanged is the May 29 deadline to order a current 2020 F-150 model.
With the nation at large unsure as to how a large-scale return to work is going to pan out, Ford is surely hoping they won’t have to delay the 2021 F-150 any further. With a national pickup truck shortage looming in the near future, the company’s dealers are likely not too keen on any additional delays either. That said, all of Detroit’s automakers and their employees are going to be tested as they return to operations amid a pandemic.
