Japan Quake Prompts Ford to Hit the Brakes on Black, Red Paint

Car-buyers revving to buy a Ford Focus in some shade of candy-apple red may have to wait.

FOX Business has confirmed that the Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) notified its dealers that there could soon be shortages of “tuxedo-black” paint, along with three shades of red paint, as a result of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The auto maker has asked dealers to stop taking orders for vehicles in these colors because of the scarcity of a particular pigment coming from Japan.

The colors in question are used on Ford F-150 and Super Duty pickups, the Explorer, the Expedition, and Lincoln Navigator sport-utility vehicles. The paint can also be ordered for the Ford Taurus, Focus and Lincoln MKS sedans.

Ford is the latest auto maker to report production problems in the U.S. due to parts shortages. Toyota has told workers it may halt some U.S. production due to disruptions from suppliers, and Honda briefly suspended domestic production on parts shortages.

Shares of Ford Motor Company fell slightly in Friday’s session; the stock was down four cents on Friday afternoon.