March 10, 2026 — Renton, Wash. Boeing disclosed a wiring flaw consisting of small scratches on bundles in a group of undelivered 737 MAX aircraft, traced to an internal machining error, leading to a temporary pause in deliveries during the first quarter and a more than 3% drop in its stock price.
The defect was found during final inspections at the Renton production facility. Rework on each affected plane is expected to take several days, causing disruptions in March and through the first half of 2026, though Boeing confirmed no change to its full-year goal of delivering more than 500 737 jets or to the current production rate of about 42 per month.
“Our 737 program is performing rework on a group of airplanes to fix wires that have small scratches due to a machining error,” the company stated in a release cited across reports. “All in-service 737 MAX airplanes can continue to safely operate.”
Katie Ringgold, vice president and general manager of the 737 program, told Aviation Week:
“We paused ticketing and deliveries as we work through this issue,” adding, “There is going to be disruption [for] the next few days. It will take several days to resolve, not weeks.”
Boeing notified the FAA, which is investigating, and affected customers. An engineering analysis determined the scratches pose no immediate safety-of-flight issue, and the problem does not extend to military variants or in-service fleets.
Delivery and Production Impacts
Boeing delivered 43 737 MAX jets in February—its highest monthly total since 2018—and three in early March before halting handovers on March 5, per Aviation Week and FlightGlobal. Production continues unabated, with plans to ramp to 47 per month later this year and open a fourth assembly line at Everett, Washington, this summer.
Stock Reaction
Shares of Boeing (NYSE: BA) fell over 3% in morning trading on March 10 amid the news, before partially recovering, according to Yahoo Finance and the Wall Street Journal. A Boeing spokeswoman noted repairs could be done in days per plane.
Context and Outlook
The issue adds to ongoing scrutiny of Boeing’s quality controls following the January 2024 door-plug blowout on a 737 MAX, which prompted FAA production caps and reforms, as reported by Reuters and the New York Times. Despite this, Boeing achieved 51 total deliveries in February, its best since 2017, and reported a $2.2 billion profit in 2025.
