Trump Rejects Ford Aluminum Tariff Relief Requests Amid Supply Headwinds From Oswego Fire: Report

President Donald Trump has reportedly rejected Ford Motor Co.‘s (NYSE:F) request for tariff relief on Aluminum amid supply chain constraints caused by a fire incident at a key supplier last year.

Donald Trump Rejects Aluminum Tariff Relief

Trump rejected requests from Ford and other U.S. automakers following a fire incident at Novelis‘ plant in New York State, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, which said that the automaker hasn’t requested relief from tariffs in a “particularly pronounced way.”

Ford and the White House didn’t immediately respond to Benzinga‘s request for comment.

The fire incidents caused major headwinds in the production of the Ford F-150 Pickup Truck. In the report, officials from the Trump administration stressed that automakers were provided with relief from a few national security tariffs and that discussions on aluminum relief are part of larger negotiations between the White House and automakers, the report said.

Fire Incident

The incident took place at Novelis’ plant in Oswego, New York, in September last year, rendering over 40% of the facility unable to process Aluminum. The incident has also caused headwinds for Detroit-based automaker Stellantis N.V. (NYSE:STLA), which faced disruption in the production of the Jeep Wagoneer SUV.

Novelis’ plant also supplied Aluminum to other manufacturers like Toyota Motor Corp (NYSE:TM), Volkswagen AG (OTC:VWAGY) and Hyundai Motor Co. (OTC:HYMLF).

Ford’s Sales Decline, Model Y Competitor

Ford recently reported its Q1 2026 sales data, selling a total of 457,315 units, which demonstrated an 8.8% YoY decline for the automaker. Ford’s SUV sales dropped 7.8% in the quarter and EV sales dropped nearly 35%.

Meanwhile, Ford CEO Jim Farley shared that the company would be developing an all-electric vehicle to compete with Tesla Inc.‘s (NASDAQ:TSLA) Model Y and Model 3, which have consistently dominated U.S. EV sales charts over the years.

According to Benzinga Edge Rankings, Ford offers poor Momentum and an unfavorable price trend in the Short, Medium and Long term.

Price Action: F was down 0.78% at market close on Tuesday to $11.52 per share, but bounced back 2.09% to $11.76 during the after-hours session.

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