GM halting production at plants in North America due to chip shortage

General Motors said Thursday that it will halt production or extend a pause at several plants in North America due to a chip shortage.

The automaker said because of a shortage of semiconductor chips, three plants would be idled or have output reduced for one to two weeks.

David Barnas, a spokesperson for GM, confirmed to The Hill that the new closures will affect factories in Tennessee, Michigan and Mexico.

“We continue to work closely with our supply base to find solutions for our suppliers’ semiconductor requirements and to mitigate impact on GM,” Barnas said in a email.

“Our intent is to make up as much production lost at these plants as possible.”

The automaker said it will also extend the closure of a facility in Ontario and another in Kansas City, Kan., through May 10. Both facilities have been closed since February.

However, GM will reopen another plan in Wentzville, Mo., in the next few days after halting production late last month.

The automaker had announced in March that they were extending downtime at its San Luis Potosi, Mexico plant through the end of the month, but recently resumed production.

GM has experienced multiple closures of plants in 2021, with the company announcing in February that North American plants would take downtime due to the semiconductor shortage.

The chip shortage has forced global automakers to cut production for months, and executives say the shortage could last for several more months.