In recent years, Ford Motor Co.’s struggled with the launches of several new vehicles; however, CEO Jim Farley’s said repeatedly the company would focus on making certain its newest offerings — like the Ford Bronco — would experience no such issues.
The dogged determination is admirable, but the automaker finds itself in a struggle to push certain Bronco models out the factory doors. It’s been problematic enough the company is offering certain buyers $2,500 to solve the problem and offering four possible solutions. Ford officials were unable to contact TheDeroitBureau.com before this story was published.
Ford reportedly approached buyers of the 2022 Wildtrak and other iterations, according to multiple reports, with offers of $2,500 to order a different eligible Ford-branded vehicle, including the Bronco Sport, Edge, Escape, Explorer, Expedition, F-150 and Ranger. The F-150 Raptor and Tremor are not part of the deal. The buyer can also choose an in-stock vehicle — including Broncos — excluding the Mustang Mach-E.
Wildtrak buyers may also select another version of the Bronco, such as the Badlands, Big Bend or Outer Banks trim packages, while others are being offered the incentive to eliminate “constrained commodities,” such as the hardtop and the Lux or Sasquatch packages.
The third option is to, well, do nothing. However, the vehicle they want is likely to be further delayed, possibly into the 2024 model year — and subject to a price hike. And all without getting the $2,500 incentive. The last choice is to simply cancel the order and walk away.
Delays and difficulties
The key is “constrained commodities.” The company is still dealing with a variety of supply chain issues, ranging from the never-ending chip problem to materials issues for items such as the aforementioned hardtop.
Just as importantly, it’s not just the Bronco that’s experiencing issues. Buyers of the company’s wildly popular compact pickup, the Maverick, as well as its midsize Ranger are also seeing delays, some of more than a year, according to multiple reports.
The Bronco has experienced a slew of issues since its introduction. In 2021, the company provided funds to dealers aimed at helping them assuage the concerns about delays. In fact, the Bronco was delayed before it even got started.
The full-size model was supposed to hit dealerships at the end of 2020, but issues with parts shortages caused factory shutdowns, forcing the company to push back its debut until the summer of 2021. Even then, problems with the hardtop exacerbated the delays buyers experienced after the automaker essentially offered new roofs to owners who had complaints about the color.
The color and protective coating applied to the roof pieces was faulty, which became apparent a few weeks after the vehicle was exposed to the elements. As a result, the coating came off on the edges of the panels, which are not smooth. With a bit of time, weather changed the color of some of the panels.
Ford offered reservation holders $1,100 in reward points, which could be used to buy Bronco accessories for their SUVs. Also anyone who made a reservation before March 21, 2020, was protected from any price increases that could be applied to 2022 vehicles.
