Bronco Production Update From MAP - July 19th 🏭

[vrtical]

With the Bronco, I sense Ford is in a race against time as the redesigned Ranger Tremor and Ranger Raptor loom on the horizon. The Bronco has been in the right place at the right time. Last year’s answer to a dreadful pandemic life. Even in 2021, the Bronco has the lure of a go anywhere vehicle.

Ford understands the market and they know how to build trucks. Will the average buyer see value in a 2022/2023 Ranger vehicle for overlanding, camping and their off-road lifestyle? If they do, late this year and into 2022, some potential owners may abandon their delivered Bronco at the dealerships as the latest Ranger models lure them away.

I already had a Ranger Tremor on my radar when the Bronco launched so its on the back of my mind, I want the Bronco experience but not at the cost of frustration and the closer you get to having realistic options, the harder the choice becomes to stay put at least in the short term.

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[Brongo]

Two-door Broncos will be shipped with the Bestop soft top.

oh how I wish they would do this.

 

[Bronco4lyfe85]

Feel better now that you got that off your chest…LOL, take 2 deep breaths and relax!

Im perfectly relaxed, don’t you worry about that! He’s still a POS His firing will be a good day

 

[Sponticore]

Not so fast though -
The DEAL is: NOW you're buying your Bronco with a Soft Top -

When the Hard Top is finally available you can BUY one from Ford - for another $3,000 or $4,000 -
And you still don't know if it's any good -
Is it Reliable ??
Will it last a few Years ???

Or will it FALL APART like the CRAP they're making SO FAR ???

Just give me the Bronco I'll aftermarket the crap out of it anyways

 

[Wookiee]

Im perfectly relaxed, don’t you worry about that! He’s still a POS His firing will be a good day

 

[Compta38]

Ford better PRAY that Toyota doesnt redesign the 4Runner anytime soon. Id jump ship in a minute if it has a removable roof because this is beyond annoying. If Webasto cant deliver, dump em. Im willing to spend 50K on a vehicle I really dont need with the main reason being a removable top. No point in a winter delivery so it can sit for months

redesigned 4Runner is supposed to be MY23 I believe and if the new Tundra and Tacoma are any indication it will look like runny dog shit.

 

[bytheway]

@PREMiERdrum

Any insight on when the 2.7 will catchup? And what is the hold up?

People keep focusing on the MIC, but the 2.7 is the next big issue.

People have ordered at a 2.57/1 ratio of 2.7/2.3, yet for September the capacity is .8/1.

I didn't order any of the other constrained commodities, but they appear to be in just as bad or worst shape as the MIC based on September numbers. Any insight on when these will be caught up will help others.

Thanks,

I feel like Lux is my biggest constraint. There are two orders earlier than mine at my dealer, both 2.3 auto soft top OB's with Lux and they have yet to preview. If they can't get a sniff I don't stand a chance.

 

[jaruss01]

I think you're in the wrong thread lol.

Nope. A lot of discussion about the MIC top, and guys asking if they have an order slated with a MIC top if it will still be built (the answer we found out is yes). My comment is about the structural integrity of said roof, and concern of the roof load. Most seem to be focused on the appearance and delamination, when it could be a bigger concern than that.

 

[jaruss01]

If the 4runner was out, i could easily see myself jumping ship too. Honestly, I think i prefer a fixed roof if it offered a panoramic, plus the power tailgate window (which is awesome in its own right). Although, i hate the way the current 4 runner drives. It, well, drives too much like a truck - at least the steering feel. From what we are hearing, the Bronco does not.

 

[Bronco4lyfe85]

But yeah, he’s stupid and I figured you should know lol I will be rooting for every loss I’ll stop now lol.

 

[TinStar]

Wow.

I try not to obsess over when I might get an allocation for my day-2 Basesquatch build and only check in here once a week or so...

It is never good news.

The one thing I absolutely am not willing to give up is the 2-door config, and with this latest Webaso disaster and no soft top solution for 2-doors, sounds like I am likely screwed on getting my bronco built anytime soon.

Of course thanks to Bronco6G for at least keeping us informed...
- Ford corporate sends me silly mail packages with platitudes, bronco concept sketches', and zero real info.
- My dealer gives me zero real info.
- Only PREMiERdrum gives us the cold, hard truth!

Wow.

I try not to obsess over when I might get an allocation for my day-2 Basesquatch build and only check in here once a week or so...

It is never good news.

The one thing I absolutely am not willing to give up is the 2-door config, and with this latest Webaso disaster and no soft top solution for 2-doors, sounds like I am likely screwed on getting my bronco built anytime soon.

Of course thanks to Bronco6G for at least keeping us informed...
- Ford corporate sends me silly mail packages with platitudes, bronco concept sketches', and zero real info.
- My dealer gives me zero real info.
- Only PREMiERdrum gives us the cold, hard truth!

we have the same build. No info. At this point I'll take it without a top.

 

[indio22]

Most people have no clue this Bronco exist let alone any tops issues. Even a few well informed car guys I know thought I had a Bronco Sport on order.

Sasquatch- the name is spot on. When I breeze by a line of cars, It's as if Bigfoot himself just popped out of the woods for a split second.
This truck will sell itself.

Well, you got to have a truck available, to sell it. I wonder how that will work out in the coming months, if potential customers are showing up at Ford dealerships to see, test drive and buy Broncos ... but are being told to wait another year. Some G6 or die hard Bronco fans may be up for that, but the greater public might just walk out over to Jeep or some other vehicle.

 

[JPMonahasn]

Enough about bad roofs, late scheduling, and multi-week gate holds to check the roof panels, okay? The fine men and women of MAP are ramping up at an exciting pace to get as many of your builds out the door as possible.

The current pace of production is seeing nearly 900 units daily roll off of final assembly as we sit just 2 weeks away from "full blend" line speed. That 900 figure is split between Bronco and Ranger, currently running about a 60/40 split. Bronco's body shop has been pushing out as many as 300 rigs per shift, as they are running ahead of final a bit on speed. Units are only going to paint when there is room for them on final after, so there will be some ebb and flow here.

We've all been let down by the issues surrounding the MIC tops - my own included - and I have to believe that there is a fix in the works. All I can say for certain is that issues are being documented thoroughly and I expect some customer-facing movement on this soon.

As you've seen, production mix for the coming months is shifting outside of demand for hard tops (and all 2 door units). There was optimism in the last 6 weeks when output at the Plymouth plant ticked up a bit, but the multiple issues with delivered roof units has popped that balloon quite quickly. I can't say for sure what the final mix will be, but dealers are being asked to program retail stock builds (all 4 door soft tops, mostly base and Big Bend trims) so that MAP has a pool of backup builds in case they run out of buildable units. They will NOT build appreciable stock units IF there are buildable customer units in the queue. It's just a matter of what they're able to build.

IF you're lucky enough to get a hard top Bronco delivered, document the heck out of your roof at delivery. Take pictures of the entire inside and outside in detail. Note any inconsistencies - however small - so the dealer has record of it for when a solution becomes available.

The more I hear from my folks and spend time watching how my roof is reacting to everyday use, it's becoming sadly apparent that the design might only work if manufacturing were 100% perfect.. and even then it's iffy. Specifically, the raw edges where all 3 layers are cross-sectioned is just begging for material loss from the core (mine has happened in a pretty dramatic fashion in the last 3 weeks), leaving little cavities where water can accumulate and cause havoc when the weather shifts.

Annoying roof issues aside - that I'm confident Ford will address - these rigs are sweet. They're fun an engaging to drive, they're comfortable to live with, they do what you ask them to without any protest, and they catch the eye of everyone around you.

Added:

Answering a big question that a lot of you are asking- Scheduled builds have not been impacted by top issues (for better or worse). If you have a build week, or even better a specific date, your rig will be built as ordered. Check your MIC top closely when you take delivery and make sure your desler logs any imperfections. I have faith that a fix will be on the way.


Q&A:



With all that I've been told (much of which I've shared with you, but certainly not all), the part is very difficult to manufacture under ideal conditions, and some of the final design designs - notably the raw exposed cut edges - are questionable.

That Webasto is an absolute dumpster fire (and that's insulting to campus parties down the street at THE Ohio State University) just took a small issue and turned it nuclear.

Ross, I am day 2 Wildtrak...do you think I should switch to a BL or BD softtop to get my bronco this year? I know there are numerous variables, but I am looking for your advice.

 

[tjnoffy]

Thanks for the update, Ross. My OBX is delayed due to the 2.7L and the Sasquatch package. Any movement on those holdups? I converted to soft top to try to help things along!

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