Ford Escape Production Plummeted In November 2023

Back in August, production of the refreshed 2023 Ford Escape really picked up, posting a month-over-month increase of 6,831 units, or around 49 percent to close out the month at 20,748 crossovers. This was notable because production of that particular model hit a bit of a snag earlier in the year due to a software issue with the crossover’s digital instrument cluster, which took some time to rectify. Making matters worse, the six-week-long UAW strike threatened to impact 2023 Ford Escape production as well, given the fact that the model’s body parts are stamped at the nearby Kentucky Truck plant, which was shut down for several weeks – though salaried workers stepped in to keep things rolling. As a result, 2023 Ford Escape production increased in October, though somewhat surprisingly, proceeded to take a big dip in November, according to Ford’s most recent sales report.

In October, Ford managed to build 20,018 Escape models at the Louisville Assembly plant, which is 1,219 units or 6.5 percent more than August, which also marked the crossover’s second-best production month of the 2032 calendar year so far. However, last month, Ford Escape production dropped all the way down to 8,618 units – a decrease of 11,400 units, or 57 percent – bringing the crossover’s year-to-date total up to 148,997 units.

As for why Escape production dipped so significantly month-over-month, there are a couple of potential reasons. For starters, production of the 2024 Ford Escape began at the Louisville plant back on on November 13^th, as Ford Authority reported in late October, which may have prompted some downtime on the assembly line. Additionally, as Ford Authority previously reported, the Louisville plant was also slated to temporarily lay off 1,500 of its 3,500 workers amid ongoing supply chain issues, too.

For the 2024 model year, the Escape is only being treated to a few minor updates following its 2023 refresh, which include a new exterior color, while the Base trim has become a fleet-only offering, the SecuriCode keyless entry keypad has been dropped (but is still available as a dealer-installed option), and the factory navigation option has been reduced from three years to one.

We’ll have more on 2023 Ford Escape production soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Escape news and non-stop Ford news coverage.