📣 Ford announces MIC hardtop solution (program 21B49): unscheduled orders will get MY2022, delivered & built Broncos will have tops replaced

[mpeugeot]

Ford tells us that there is nothing that can be done to speed up the process at MAP's Dirt Mountain...

Claymore Roomba disagrees

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[Blackandnlue]

I have a question that I have not seen anybody ask, at least recently. Does anybody have any insight on what the constraints are on the 2.7 L or the Sasquatch package. I have a soft top on order, Badlands, pretty much the whole shebang for 4-wheeling. And I have an August reservation date, yet I don't have a VIN number, build date, nada. According to the information given yesterday I should be "unaffected" by the MIC hardtop issues. Yet I'm out here in the cold. I have no idea what's going on, and I didn't even get an email yesterday. Any informed thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

 

[wigid]

I would say they’re gonna cost $2500-$3000 delivered to the dealer plus the $500 head liner if you want it.

The problem is the big unknown. It is fine to guess what they will cost but I don't want sticker shock in the future. I am already spending $55k on a bronco. I don't want that to blow out to 60K or 65K with the cost of the hardtop. All I want is a set price, Then we can make an informed decision on whether to wait for a MIC top or go the whole soft top with prep kit first and get a hard top later

 

[BroncoPls!]

I ordered the MOD top from day one, as a plastics engineer, I was suspect of a thermoplastic constructed top. Here is a link to a write up in Plastics News about the FORD top Issues.
Ford to replace molded-in-color Bronco roofs due to quality issues | Plastics News

 

[PittShawn]

I ordered the MOD top from day one, as a plastics engineer, I was suspect of a thermoplastic constructed top. Here is a link to a write up in Plastics News about the FORD top Issues.
Ford to replace molded-in-color Bronco roofs due to quality issues | Plastics News

You have to subscribe. Not paying even $1 more for this fiasco.

 

[BroncoPls!]

You have to subscribe. Not paying even $1 more for this fiasco.

Sorry, here is the main statements and it is also interesting the article reference Bronco6G forum several times. You guys are famous!

 

[BroncoPls!]

Webasto is based near Munich and opened a new plant in the Detroit suburb of Plymouth, Mich., in 2020 to supply roof systems to an unspecified automaker.

In an emailed statement, Webasto said: "It is our goal to ensure that our product always meets our customer´s and their end consumers’ expectations. Constantly reviewing, reworking, and executing is a regular part of our quality process. We remain fully engaged with our customer to address any concerns as they arise."


"The imperfections are microscopic, do not affect the functionality of the roof and are exposed in heavy rain and humidity. We found it and have now put in corrective steps. To meet the high demand and increase roof production capacity, we will build another new production location in southeastern Michigan."

 

[cowman]

The consumer knew the Bronco was going to be reintroduced a couple years before Ford revealed it. So you know Ford knew before that. You would think that Ford would’ve started testing parts like sunbaking, weather testing, etc the roof they were thinking about using sometime between when they decided to reintroduce the Bronco and the big reveal. That part just doesn’t seem that difficult to test.

Maybe you should apply for a job at Ford... I'm sure they could benefit for your expertize in the matter...

 

[Baddie64]

Webasto is based near Munich and opened a new plant in the Detroit suburb of Plymouth, Mich., in 2020 to supply roof systems to an unspecified automaker.

In an emailed statement, Webasto said: "It is our goal to ensure that our product always meets our customer´s and their end consumers’ expectations. Constantly reviewing, reworking, and executing is a regular part of our quality process. We remain fully engaged with our customer to address any concerns as they arise."


"The imperfections are microscopic, do not affect the functionality of the roof and are exposed in heavy rain and humidity. We found it and have now put in corrective steps. To meet the high demand and increase roof production capacity, we will build another new production location in southeastern Michigan."

This is hilarious. Rain damages the mic top. Somehow “high demand” was not anticipated. A new plant will take how long to get built, staffed, and be able to churn out tops? Two years Minimum?

 

[Chops]

I guess this is what I’m upset about the most.. I had no knowledge of the date date in March. Nobody from Ford acknowledged or provided this information to me prior to my April order.
I was truly excited to order my Bronco.
I haven’t had anyone at the dealership contact after my other. The two pacifying emails that I’ve received didn’t say anything about the date in question.. I did receive lots of emails to the “Rodeo BS” and I did recently receive an expensive cardboard envelope in mail that had another pacifying letter with a sticker but that’s it.
I have a real life understanding of what it’s like to have to wait on parts. It’s a helpless feeling. My many years of past experiences in the automotive industry has help me understand that but this, this is unacceptable. Nobody once told me that I didn’t have price protection. It’s actually been to my understanding that I was getting price protection because I made the effort to order a vehicle that was sight unseen and because of all the mishaps and product issues that Ford has been dealing with that myself the customer has had nothing to do with and that price protection was a non issue, just time.
What gives????????
This is like taking a part off the shelf at one said labeled price and then taking to the register to pay another price.
This is some Gangster Shit! sorry bout the language.

Exactly!!!!! The dealership I am/was working with shared nothing on they dates, deadlines or price guarantee dates nor did Ford!! I am done! Tired of the bull shit and also allows me to rid myself of the dealership that I am totally unimpressed by.

 

[TellurideBronco]

Wall Street Journal article August 12:

 

[Dangerranger]

I have a question that I have not seen anybody ask, at least recently. Does anybody have any insight on what the constraints are on the 2.7 L or the Sasquatch package. I have a soft top on order, Badlands, pretty much the whole shebang for 4-wheeling. And I have an August reservation date, yet I don't have a VIN number, build date, nada. According to the information given yesterday I should be "unaffected" by the MIC hardtop issues. Yet I'm out here in the cold. I have no idea what's going on, and I didn't even get an email yesterday. Any informed thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

without an official statement from ford it’s hard to say how the Constraints powertrain and Sasquatch package, is going to effect anyones order.The only people that know what’s going in upper management and they don’t want bad press. I was involved with the explorer launch it had a lot of bad press but it really wasn’t that much of a dumpster fire as the media made it out to be. The bronco on the other hand takes the cake, this is absolutely dreadful and there is no excuse that they can use to defend all of these issues. Covid my ass this has been an ongoing issue with ford

 

[deanfromkelowna]

Updated by Administrator with full FAQ and Customer Satisfaction Program info.

Full Order Holder FAQ:

Awareness Communication - Upcoming Customer Satisfaction Program 21B49
(Certain 2021 Model Year Bronco Equipped with a Hard Top Roof Roof Panel Delamination)

Some extra info from @PREMiERdrum



All new tooling and an altered design. It became quite clear that even when manufactured exactly to spec that the design was flawed.

The timeline here is optimistic, but the right move nonetheless.


No. MIC hardtop production for unscheduled First Edition builds will resume late this year with the updated hardtop design. I wouldn't expect this until probably November, as the new tooling still needs to be completed, installed, and tested before production of the new hard tops can begin. Once that happens, they have committed to building new MIC hardtops for all units that have already been delivered, then the "bad batch" Broncos trapped at MAP, THEN for production of new units.



Hey, you have every right to be a dick. This has been a mess.

The design issue is the unfinished edges. Initially, these were to be treated and sealed but it was never successful. The "coating" applied at the plant lasted for about a week, if that. The other issues plaguing the MIC top - thickness of outer ply, uniformity of material thickness, and forming issues within the clamshell - were perhaps made more challenging by the tooling but not necessarily impossible. This new design and tooling should aid in ALL these factors.

As for the 8/2 "full speed" production, that was the plan. Heels were firmly dug in on the engineering of the top and all fingers were pointed towards Plymouth. There was hope that the "best" of the roof units being delivered to MAP could at least be used to complete FE and stranded builds, but as more and more units were evaluated, it became clear that it was a bigger liability to release more of these out into the wild than to just scrap the thing and start over.

Like I said last night, this move HURTS... especially the "bad batch" crew of 2,200+ builds stuck at MAP, but it's absolutely the best way to address it at this juncture. A LOT of these headaches could have been alleviated by pulling the plug when the first issues became apparent, but that's not where we are.



- A few hundred.

- Yes.



The design will look very much the same (and be the same color, to those of you asking). Main points to address in the update:

- Rolled /finished edges where there were formerly raw cuts.
- Thicker, more uniform outer layer of material.
- Improved injection process to fix forming issues in the clamshell.

Also, I've seen several people asking why they can't just get their truck now with a bad roof and replace it later. Two huge problems will prevent that from happening:
- Ford doesn't want any more "bad" units running around beyond the few hundred already out there.
- They want no part of shipping any more of these things than they already have to. Freight is going be enormous on them and there is a substantial risk of damage while shipping. I doubt they have a packaging and logistics plan for them but I can imagine it's going to be incredibly costly.



No - the entire roof assembly is being replaced. This is being described this way as they won't ship the "replacement kits" to the dealers with the glass in place. It will need to be installed in the new cap by the dealer.


Note:

Lots of people are assuming this means a new supplier, but I don't have any confirmation of that. Update from @Nickp , the following is correct: From what I can tell, this new tooling for the MIC hardtops is being designed and paid for by Ford and will be installed at the Plymouth plant for Webasto to produce.

The MOD tops coming in 23 are from a new supplier that has yet to be publicly identified.

Further info from @Nickp: My contact at Ford reached out, and basically summed it up that they need to make sure that these things are ready for the adventures that we are going to put them through. The current hardtop and the quality offered just don't reach that standard, so they are just putting the kibosh on any more going into circulation before they fix the root of the problem. As outlined above, the fewer hard tops they have to ship around the country the better. When the new tops are being built, they are going to FiFo the current sitting orders. Basically, the ones that were built first will be the first to get tops and get sent on out to their final destination. While the ones that are currently built are being sent on their way, the goal will be to get people with a hardtop Bronco in their possession already the new top, along with finishing up the first editions and already scheduled builds. It's not ideal, but this is "THE" solution that will be the only thing to fully fix things.

Spoke to my dealer today and they are excited that the cosmetic issues will be addressed 100% but bummed that deliveries will stop. I got mine 14 days ago and I feel like a bandit! The top is a great design, just poor execution.

 

[Blackandnlue]

Yep. We're all just a bunch of mushrooms.

 

[Contact]

My roof came out fine. Now for painting.

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