Isn't this the source of the production problem:

"Ford suspects it may be getting squeezed out by its Japanese rivals. With the fall launch of the gas-electric Mercury Mariner, Ford is tripling its hybrid SUV lineup over three years. But its transmission supplier, Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd., can boost deliveries by only 20 percent, to 24,000 transmissions annually." http://detroitnews.com/2005/autosins...A01-272872.htm
AND AN UPDATE

"Aisin Seiki Co., an affiliate of Toyota Motor Corp., plans to increase its supply of core motor systems for hybrid vehicles to Ford Motor Co.....The Ford Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid are equipped with Ford’s first-generation transaxle, which Ford developed jointly with Aisin AW...Aisin has supplied dual-motor systems to Ford since 2004, with shipments currently reaching around 20,000 systems a year...." from
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007...seiki_to_.html