Originally Published: 14 FEB 23 15:07 ET

By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN Business

(CNN) -- Ford has halted production of the top-selling electric pickup in America, the F-150 Lightning, because of a possible battery problem, the automaker confirmed Tuesday. The potential issue was discovered during the company's pre-delivery vehicles inspections, Ford spokesperson Emma Berg said.

The pause in production and delivery apparently does not apply to trucks that are already at dealerships ready to be delivered or to trucks already with customers. Ford did not provide any information about what the battery-related issue might be, its possible cause or potential consequences.

Ford has sold 18,000 Lightning pickups since production started in the spring of 2022.

Currently the best-seller in the category, the Lightning will face intense competition later this year when GM begins production of the Chevrolet Silverado EV. That truck will be joined early next year by GM's GMC Sierra EV. Tesla has said its Cybertruck will begin full production in 2024, following a number of delays. Stellantis is also supposed to begin production of the Ram 1500 Rev later next year, as well.

Last year, Ford created two separate business units within the company, one for internal combustion-powered vehicles called Ford Blue and the other for electric vehicles called Ford Model E. The F-150 truck is built at a factory near Ford's headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan outside Detroit.

The automaker has been investing heavily in battery production and recently announced a $3.5 billion investment in a new battery plant in Michigan that is supposed to begin production in 2026. The automaker is also building production facilities in Kentucky and Tennessee to build electric vehicle batteries and electric trucks.

Ford also recently announced it was cutting 11% of its workforce in Europe in part to prepare for the shift to electric vehicles there.