Ford F-150 Supplier Plant Fire Could Cost Company $1B Push Back Production For Other Automakers

Already hit by tariffs and slowing demand for its electric vehicles, a critical Ford F-150 supplier plant fire could cost the company $1B, push back production for many of its vehicles, and hurt other automakers.

Ford F-150 Supplier Plant Fire

The September 16, 2025 fire at the Novelis, New York aluminum plant is expected to force the plant to be shutdown until the first quarter of 2026 according to a Reuters.com story.

This plant supplies much of the aluminum used on the Ford F-150 truck.

A Syracuse.com story said the fire broke out at 10 p.m. and it took firefighters from more than 20 departments more than four hours to put out the blaze.

The company said the fire mostly destroyed the roof of the 1.4 million-square-foot Novelis plant in Oswego, NY. More than 1,000 workers at the plant will be paid while the plant undergoes repair.

Aluminum Ford F-150

The F-150 famously went to an all-aluminum body back in 2015 in an effort to get a competitive advantage over its rivals.

Analysts from Evercore ISI wrote a note to investors stating they expect the automaker to lose $1 billion due to the plant fire and Ford’s stock price dropped 6% the day after the fire was announced.

“Novelis is one of several aluminum suppliers to Ford. Since the fire nearly three weeks ago, Ford has been working closely with Novelis, and a full team is dedicated to addressing the situation and exploring all possible alternatives to minimize any potential disruptions,” a spokesperson for the automaker said in a statement in the Reuters.com story. The company declined to comment on the Evercore note.

While other automakers will be affected since they use aluminum for hoods, doors and tailgates, Ford is expected to take the biggest hit.

“We believe this is largely a Ford issue, at this time being, although we are continuing to check knock-on effects for [Stellantis] and Toyota as well,” Evercore’s Chris McNally wrote in the note.

Novelis supplies roughly 40% of the total amount of aluminum sheet metal used by U.S. automakers and counts Ford as its biggest customer.

There are alternative suppliers like Arconic, a facility I visited 9 years ago, and overseas suppliers. However, with the current 50% tariff on aluminum imports, importing aluminum would be very costly.

New Ford F-150 delayed?

This brings up the question of what will happen with the planned roll-out of an all-new Ford F-150 next year?

Ford originally had plans to release the new model this year. It was pushed back due to concerns about economic conditions and now, in the wake of this fire at one of its key suppliers, it seems likely it could suffer further delays.