Ford will ship Broncos without chips controlling non-safety critical features

[ColonelAngus]

In other news, Ford will start shipping vehicles with 4 of the 5 lug nuts included on the wheels.

I'd take it without any if it meant id get mine sooner... same with the roof (2 door)... but alas.

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[Bronco cat]

My dealer told me today it will be Bronco’s he also said they cannot drive them until they are completed and have to be locked up. So now or Bronco’s shipped all over United State’s just to make them more room at the Factory

I got bad news for you. Just like with f150’s last summer ford floated the same idea but never went through. FYI every release ford has made in this only discusses the explorer. I know the owner of the dealership and he is intimately involved in all aspects of operation and he showed me exactly what ford is doing for vehicles without chips and they have only announced the explorer as part of the program.

 

[North7]

My dealer told me today it will be Bronco’s he also said they cannot drive them until they are completed and have to be locked up. So now or Bronco’s shipped all over United State’s just to make them more room at the Factory

I got bad news for you. Just like with f150’s last summer ford floated the same idea but never went through.

@Wralex2 and @Bronco cat what you are describing is last year's Bronco 2021 short-ship and park program. After this thread was published, I've heard more information from one of my dealer sources on the New 2022 short-ship program.

Last year's short-ship program was canceled in part due to union demands as the UAW wanted to run the Bronco's back through the production line just to install a couple of modules instead of letting the dealers install them. Now however, due to the economic realities of the supply chain issues, Ford has revised last year's plan to ship vehicles without some modules to dealers, if they choose to sign-up for the program. As others have mentioned, last year's plan was for the dealers to store and care for the Bronco's, until the modules arrived.

The new plan, based on what dealers learned through the sign-up process and what the Ford executives told the Ford dealers at last weekend's Las Vegas NADA show, is that the "Vehicles would be Drivable and Sellable".

However, the realities seem to be a little more nuanced, with details still being worked out. It may be better to say, some "Vehicles would be Drivable" and other "Vehicles would be Sellable" depending on the missing modules. Those that are not immediately sellable would be stored and cared for by the dealers until the missing modules arrive and the dealers install them.

Again, this will not apply to all dealers as they specifically have to sign-up for the program. Don't pin a lot of hope on hearing more from your dealer, as much as we Ford consumers are complaining about Ford's lack of communication, the dealers don't have it any better. Ford has been tight lipped about most things with them as well, leaving the dealers in the dark.

(I've updated post #1 with this information)

 

[Seralan]

Is this just for the Dirt/Ice mountain Bronco's or will they be turning out and shipping all of the ones off the line as "almost complete"?

If new production units ship complete, I can see how people would start to loose their minds. But it also seems like a very Ford thing to do at this point.

 

[North7]

Is this just for the Dirt/Ice mountain Bronco's or will they be turning out and shipping all of the ones off the line as "almost complete"?

If new production units ship complete, I can see how people would start to loose their minds. But it also seems like a very Ford thing to do at this point.

All we know is Ford is limited on the amount of chips/modules they have, as are all of the other auto manufactures as well. Where they choose to use the limited stock is everyone's guess. We can speculate they want to keep the production line running if they have chips/modules, instead of building short and parking more Bronco's, unless they implement the new plan and ship short the new production units to dealers and the dealers install the modules when available.

Either way, maybe Ice/Mud Mountain slowly gets emptied out with a combination of modules installed there and some getting installed at the dealers, we can hope anyway.

 

[akh2ogeek]

How about making sure that reservation holders vehicles are complete including chips. Then the vehicles that are allotted to dealers can be short chips.

 

[[DELETED MEMBER 27901]]

My dealer told me today it will be Bronco’s he also said they cannot drive them until they are completed and have to be locked up. So now or Bronco’s shipped all over United State’s just to make them more room at the Factory

I was told this too. At least this lets us get through the shipping/transportation mess while we wait for the chip. Easier shipping a module than a Bronco.

 

[Rkgzx9leftcoast]

Yeah, the wording in the news articles was they would get the needed parts ..... within a year.
At the dealer or on Ice Mountain .... a year wont work for me, or probaly the majority of order holders. They better figure out how to sell them without some features.

 

[Chippewa-Pin]

Anything is possible, but I have a hard time believing that Ford is going to ship vehicles to dealerships and have them sit there for a year (give or take). If the vehicles are drivable (and allowed to be on the road by local law) why wouldn't/couldn't the customer take possession and then get the chips/modules added later? These sure are crazy times.

 

[mpeugeot]

Here’s my experiences with @Ford Motor Company and promises for features to be added after taking delivery of the vehicle.
In March 2021, we ordered an F-150 Platinum with the PowerBoost engine. BlueCruise was “supposed” to be added to it by Q3 of 2021 and here were are, a full year later with no BlueCruise.
The hardware is already loaded on the vehicle. We’ve been driving a truck with a very expensive and appealing option that we’ve not been able to use for a full year, and so far, it’s been crickets from Ford…..For a SOFTWARE OTA update. Other F150s produced after ours already have the feature available and have been using it for months.
If any of you think that Ford is going to be able to pull this off with dealers physically adding “chips” to tens of thousands of Broncos in a timely manner, I’ve got a bridge in Arizona to sell you.
Look at the monkey screwing a football debauchery we’ve already seen from this company with reservations/allocations and how we’ve been treated over the past 2 years. I’ll believe it when I physically have a complete Bronco in the driveway. Until then, it’s just more empty promises from Ford.
This Bronco may very well be my last Ford ever. And this is coming from a Ford family for the past 40+ years.

Blue Cruise is coming any day now...

 

[Luterdan]

I’d just take a steering wheel or something. Like, “here’s the wheel for the Bronco we can’t build.” At least than I’d feel appreciated.

The new Ford Bronco brought to you by IKEA.

 

[flip]

Blue Cruise is coming any day now...

You should be cursed or banned for even muttering those two words!

 

[Majidsho]

I just talked to Ford Marketing center and I was told they will be shipping Broncos but they won’t include rear HVAC and Auxiliary control and heated seat and from the driver side the Auxiliary. My dealer also confirmed today that by next week they will have more information about which Bronco’s will be shipped based on required chips that don’t effect safety. I really hope we all have an answer by early next week.

 

[Luterdan]

I wonder if the raptors, since they are the most capable, will not be shipping due to the number of important systems and the interconnection of said systems

 

[22OBX]

The article says the dealers were told at the NADA meeting the vehicles would be drivable and sellable. It is a REVISION of the plan your dealer speaks of from last July. Ford doesn’t want to build inventory, they want to sell. Especially right now with so many production cuts.

“The plan is a revision of an idea floated in July, where Ford considered shipping partially built vehicles to dealers to sit on their lots until parts became available. Now, according to the people, the partially built vehicles Ford will send dealers will be both drivable and sellable.”

“Ford said it would send the necessary chips within one year for dealers to install in the sold products, the people said.”

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