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

[DesertMike680]

Same here, I was pricing Wranglers this morning. I don't know if I can bring myself to buying a Jeep though.

Good call. Please dont buy a Wrangler.

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[colotex]

Ford says they want to fix the issue, but keep putting up roadblocks to easy solutions.

And this one drives me crazy. Keep hearing about “federal regulations”. I want a two door with a Bimini top. Could not care less about the MIC. Send me one with a top made out of paper plates…I DONT CARE. so frustrating.

 

[mandyhoth]

Hey guys
If I have a vin and I've been scheduled for a build date of Aug 26th and it was ordered march 18th

Would I still be fine with a 2 door.
Thanks for any help

In the video yesterday Esteban said if you have a vin and a build date you’ll be built this year. Wether they can stick to it who knows But even if they can you’d be at the front of the line for 2022

 

[Pancho Kornwallace]

My first post and it includes an unsolicited suggestion to FMC:

190,000 reservations are made x $10 each for some sort of token of appreciation (hat, shirt, keychain, whatever - let us know you care) = $1.9 million. Add a few bucks for postage. Probably a lot less than what they're paying to a PR firm for damage control.

* Will be attending the Moab Off-Roadeo over Labor Day Weekend and still, as of today, committed to my January 27, 2021 reservation.

They did send us all a collectible poster. Got mine a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Benzito]

They did send us all a collectable poster. Got mine a couple of weeks ago.

I got that, too. That was nice for the FIRST set of delays. Now most of us are looking at six to twelve months before we get our vehicles. Ford ought to keep the goodwill flowing.

 

[mpeugeot]

See my open letter to Ford. Shipping tops to dealerships should not be a problem or expensive.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/threads/an-open-letter-to-ford-solution-to-dirt-mountain.21722/unread

 

[KKCrunch]

I’m out y’all.

Maybe I’ll see you in 2022, maybe not. For now I’m putting everything Bronco on the pay no mind list. Ford has officially killed my joy.

Hope y’all have fun with your rigs if you get them this year.

Cheers !!!

 

[ravenb99]

Curious why FE holders (guess Wildtrak too) couldn't be offered a soft top now? They already took away the Black Painted top and gave the discount for that. I would of taken a soft top to get my truck now and just bought the painted top down the road when ready.

 

[Treeza61]

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.

I’m so glad I didn’t place an order.

 

[Xploit]

This is the email I got :

Dear Future Bronco Owner,

There's nothing we want more than to get your Bronco to you. Your Bronco is built, but unfortunately, we're having appearance and quality issues with the hardtop roof and it needs to be replaced. As a result, your delivery timing will be delayed. We will prioritize replacement of hardtops on the oldest units first and will send you an email with more detailed timing updates based on your VIN in September. You can click here for more information and details on this announcement. We know it doesn't make your Bronco appear any faster, but to show how much we appreciate your patience, we will continue to send you exclusive Bronco gear until you're behind the wheel. This isn't the email you wanted but we thank you for your ongoing patience as we continue the hard work of bringing back a legend.

The Entire Bronco Team

 

[Ricky_gibbs]

This is the email I got :

Dear Future Bronco Owner,

There's nothing we want more than to get your Bronco to you. Your Bronco is built, but unfortunately, we're having appearance and quality issues with the hardtop roof and it needs to be replaced. As a result, your delivery timing will be delayed. We will prioritize replacement of hardtops on the oldest units first and will send you an email with more detailed timing updates based on your VIN in September. You can click here for more information and details on this announcement. We know it doesn't make your Bronco appear any faster, but to show how much we appreciate your patience, we will continue to send you exclusive Bronco gear until you're behind the wheel. This isn't the email you wanted but we thank you for your ongoing patience as we continue the hard work of bringing back a legend.

The Entire Bronco Team

I was asking my dealership about this and they had no clue and thought I was lying haha ford isn't even keeping dealerships in the loop anymore

 

[BmoreCmore]

So whose to know by next year they discover another problem with Mic tops?

 

[deanfromkelowna]

Got the stupid email today. What a farce! Why can't they just switch all to soft-top and get the reservations/orders out the door. If they promise me a hard top provided by ford and installed by dealer when they're ready that would be great. Now that would be a REAL solution!

Smartest post I have seen. it moves all the current builds into the sold category, buyer get their units plus a pre booked date with the service department at the dealer. ford gets to claims sales… win-win-win.

 

[Gamecock]

lmfaooo. Nope, down marginally yesterday, down 2% today.
I guess Ford should have sent their solution email today after 5pm.

First time looking at a stock? Yeah, a stock up 100% in the last year dropped 2% on the same day GM was down 1.8%…iT WaS THe tOps!

 

[BobT]

So how does a person go about canceling their order all together? Getting my dealership down payment and my $100 reservation fee? Time to buy a jeep!!

Rubicon 392 ?

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