Ford Motor reported a 6.6% decline in U.S. vehicle sales during the third quarter, while reassuring investors that a short-term supplier issue affecting F-150 production should remain within its existing financial guidance.
The automaker said the disruption occurred near the end of September and is not expected to push full-year results outside its current outlook.
Ford Maintains 2026 EBIT Guidance
Ford said the supplier issue was unrelated to aluminum and that its financial impact should remain contained within the company’s 2026 adjusted EBIT guidance of $10 billion to $11 billion.
The guidance range was originally issued on July 28 and remains unchanged.
Ford Q3 Sales Decline 6.6%
Ford sold 509,764 vehicles in the United States during the third quarter.
That represented a 6.6% decline compared with the same period a year earlier.
However, the company said sales volume was essentially flat when excluding the planned phase-out of the Escape and Corsair models.
Ford also estimated that the overall U.S. auto industry declined by around 1% over the same period.
Ford Gains U.S. Market Share
Despite the decline in total sales, Ford estimated that its U.S. retail market share increased.
The company said its share rose by approximately 0.4 percentage point to 12.1%.
That suggests Ford managed to outperform the broader market despite weaker headline sales.
F-Series Demand Remains Strong
Truck demand remained one of Ford’s biggest strengths during the quarter.
F-Series sales increased by 2.4% in September to 67,448 vehicles.
Year-to-date F-Series sales reached 561,508 units.
Ford said that figure was more than 140,000 vehicles ahead of the Chevrolet Silverado.
F-Series Production Increases
Ford also increased truck production during the third quarter.
F-Series production rose 4.5% to 266,777 vehicles.
Super Duty production increased 4.4% to 110,275 units.
That marked the strongest quarterly Super Duty production result in 19 years.
Hybrid Sales Reach New Record
Ford also reported strong demand for hybrid vehicles.
Maverick Hybrid sales surged 59.6% to a quarterly record of 27,793 vehicles.
The result highlights continued consumer interest in hybrid powertrains as buyers look for alternatives to traditional gasoline vehicles and fully electric models.
Bronco and Explorer Sales Strengthen
Ford’s SUV lineup also delivered several positive results.
Bronco sales reached a quarterly record of 38,020 vehicles.
Meanwhile, Explorer sales increased 17.6% through September, reaching 189,210 units.
These gains helped offset weakness in other parts of Ford’s portfolio.
Off-Road Vehicles Become More Important
Ford’s off-road lineup continued to expand its share of total sales.
Models including the Bronco, Raptor, Tremor and FX4 accounted for around 24% of sales through September.
That was 3.8 percentage points higher than a year earlier.
The growth suggests that rugged and performance-focused vehicles remain an important part of Ford’s product strategy.
Ford Software Subscriptions Keep Growing
Ford also reported continued growth in its software business.
Active paid software subscriptions exceeded 1.7 million.
That represented an increase of more than 40% compared with the previous year.
The growth in recurring software revenue could become increasingly important as Ford looks to diversify beyond traditional vehicle sales.
Ford Outlook Remains Intact
Overall, Ford’s third-quarter results showed weaker headline sales but continued strength in trucks, hybrids, off-road vehicles and software subscriptions.
The key focus for investors will now be whether the F-150 supplier disruption remains temporary and whether the company can maintain its $10 billion to $11 billion adjusted EBIT target for 2026.
