Ford Motor said Thursday that its profit in the third quarter more than doubled from a year earlier to $2.4 billion, as strong sales of trucks and sport-utility vehicles offset increased costs from tariffs.
But the company warned that the disruption caused by a fire in September at an aluminum factory that it relied on would slow production of pickup trucks in the final three months of the year. As a result, Ford expects that its pretax profit in the fourth quarter would be up to $1 billion smaller than it had earlier expected.
Because of the fire and slowing sales of electric vehicles, the company has stopped making the F-150 Lightning electric pickup. Workers who had been making that truck in Dearborn, Mich., will move to another plant that makes the gas and hybrid versions of the F-150.
Ford did not say when or if it will restart Lightning production. Ford introduced the vehicle to great fanfare in 2022, but its sales fell far short of the company’s expectations.
Ford said tariffs imposed by President Trump increased its costs in the third quarter by $700 million, although recent changes to duties on imported vehicles and parts should significantly lower reduce those expenses in the final months of 2025.
The company lowered its outlook for full-year 2025 earnings before interest and taxes to between $6 billion and $6.5 billion, down from its previous forecast of $6.5 billion to $7 billion.
The automaker also said it would make more large pickup trucks at plants in Michigan and Kentucky, which should create 1,000 jobs.
Ford said the increased production would help it meet demand for pickups and make up for production lost as a result of the fire at the aluminum plant, in Oswego, N.Y., which is owned by Novelis.
“We are fixing the challenges that slowed our progress,” Ford chief financial officer, Sherry House, said.
The Novelis plant makes aluminum sheets that Ford uses to make F-150 pickups and the brawnier Super Duty versions of that truck. F-Series trucks generate a large portion of Ford’s overall profit. The company said it was helping Novelis repair the plant and that Novelis was supplying some aluminum from other U.S. and European plants.
The automaker said its sales of F-Series trucks shouldn’t be affected by the fire because dealers still have plenty of trucks available.
In the three months from July to September, Ford’s global sales rose 6 percent to 1.2 million vehicles and revenue climbed 9 percent to $50.5 billion.
Ford’s internal-combustion vehicle and commercial vehicle divisions reported strong profits in the third quarter. But the unit that makes electric vehicles lost $1.4 billion, compared to a loss of $1.2 billion in the same period a year ago.
The company sold more than 30,000 battery-powered cars and trucks in the third quarter as consumers rushed to buy those models before the end of a $7,500 federal tax credit on the purchase and lease of such cars.
Neal E. Boudette is based in Michigan and has been covering the auto industry for two decades. He joined The New York Times in 2016 after more than 15 years at The Wall Street Journal.
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