Bronco Production Update From MAP - July 19th 🏭

[shieldsy]

For summer / fall season we start drumline conditioning in early March. The kids start every clinic with 1.5 miles on the track, stopping for a circuit of push ups and sit ups every half lap. Additionally, after lap 3 and lap 6 we stop and do a full core-focused yoga regimen of planking, stretching, balance, and breathing.

Mine was on the line at ULL in Lafayette Louisiana....in full black and red flannel or some other horrendously heavy and hot material.....in August.....with absurd call times for an afternoon or evening game.

It is not for the weak or faint of heart.

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[FlyingBronco]

I have a question. If someone were to take the pipe and give up the hardtop for now does anyone know how much it is going to cost later when they get straightened out?

My guess is in the $2k+ range. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t come up for individual sale until 2023 at the earliest.

 

[Wanted33]

Ross, You are great to let people know as much info as you do. Some folks want to complain no matter what. If you have your Bronco, Shut up and enjoy it (not you Ross). Warranties fix issues like the top. Ford is going to eat a lot crow in the coming months until it is resolved.
Maybe they should steal a few people away from Bestop or the manufacturer of Jeep tops...
I will be excited to get mine in a couple months. Hoping I don't get delayed again, but I will be fine if it does. It only means Ford is doing their best to fix the problems as fast as they can and trying not to ship out a sub par product.
Glad you are enjoying your Bronco.

That's not a bad idea, but I'm quite uneducated on how the hard top is manufactured. However, with the amount of time it's taking Webasto to get ramped up and running, the factory that makes the Jeep tops could very well get ready faster. Hell, at this point it I don't think it could hurt a thing for Ford to ask. Producing flawed tops, and sending them to market just doesn't seem to be cost effective in my mind.

Thank you very much for the update Ross @PREMiERdrum . Once again you've thrown us a life line to hold onto.

 

[BuzzyBud]

@PREMiERdrum Ross, I must admit I found this thread to be fascinating! (Yes, I read every posting!) It does leave several unanswered questions.

• What is Ford’s plan for correcting the quality issues with the MIC top?
• Will the Wildtrak buyers have an option to select a soft top?
• Could the 2-door buyers select a Bestop Soft Top now with the prep kit for an eventual modular hard top in 2023? In other words, a dual top option with price guarantee in 2021. That approach might get them (me) off the book of business for the MIC top delivery challenges.
• Will an extended warranty policy cover the MIC top?

I do hope Ford understands the importance of communication at this point. Of course, silence is always an option! @Ford Motor Company

 

[JR007]

In my unsolicited opinion, this would be the best course of action:

"We're sorry to share with you that the Molded-in-Color hard tops arriving at our production facility from a supplier have failed to meet the standards we have for a product as exciting as Bronco. Going forward, all Bronco 4-door units will be shipped with the factory soft top until a new hard top is available, at which point one will be available to you through your dealer. Two-door Broncos will be shipped with the Bestop soft top. As an appreciation for your patience and understanding, we've automatically credited your FordPass Rewards account with an additional 25,000 points, and you'll soon receive an email with a lifetime premium membership to Bronco Nation. There's still some wild out there, and we can't wait to help you find it."

Cutting their loss NOW would make a huge difference in what they're on the hook for down the road.

This would go a long way for all of the reservation holders. More so for those of us that want a hardtop.

 

[soupcook]

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.

I really appreciate your comments on what is happening at MAP.

 

[rcbickle]

In my unsolicited opinion, this would be the best course of action:

"We're sorry to share with you that the Molded-in-Color hard tops arriving at our production facility from a supplier have failed to meet the standards we have for a product as exciting as Bronco. Going forward, all Bronco 4-door units will be shipped with the factory soft top until a new hard top is available, at which point one will be available to you through your dealer. Two-door Broncos will be shipped with the Bestop soft top. As an appreciation for your patience and understanding, we've automatically credited your FordPass Rewards account with an additional 25,000 points, and you'll soon receive an email with a lifetime premium membership to Bronco Nation. There's still some wild out there, and we can't wait to help you find it."

Cutting their loss NOW would make a huge difference in what they're on the hook for down the road.

Beyond making customers happy, this would accelerate deliveries and head off all of the warranty claims on the tops. Your idea aligns with mine, Ford should cut their losses, go pure soft tops while they fix this, and then send the hardtops when they have it under control. They could offer those who originally wanted a painted modular top the option of waiting a bit longer for what was originally promised. Even sweeten it more with the ability to order it black, color-matched, or white. In the long run, I think it would make them a lot more money and satisfy more of us!

 

[Spooled]

With the Bronco, I sense Ford is in a race against time as the redesigned Ranger Tremor and Ranger Raptor loom on the horizon.

Agree. If they confirmed the Ranger Raptor would release same time as the next-gen ranger, I would wait. I want a Ranger that's as capable as my ZR2 is, but with a more powerful engine (3.0 Ecoboost).

 

[Seahund]

I am fairly patient! My concern is if I get my 2.7, tow package, MIC hard top on Dec 1 what year is that going to be considered? 2021 or 2022?

2022 I would think... if your order gets pulled for build in September or later... thoughts??

 

[Bronkers]

Units held for roof inspection (and possible replacement) will be released as they're addressed. The batching holds are done, so I expect movement soon. I don't know if there will be a separate communication until/if they decide to change the current course of action on the MIC units. As of now, they have not.

Ross, if we have a built email from Ford, do you know if that means it will ship ~immediately or are those also subject to inspection? (2dr here)

 

[PREMiERdrum]

Ross, if we have a built email from Ford, do you know if that means it will ship ~immediately or are those also subject to inspection? (2dr here)

"Built" confirmation means you're good to go and heading out to the shipping yards.

 

[DPierce]

Keep up the good work!! According to Ford customer service, I began build today at 11:10. Haven’t heard anything or been able to pull up a window sticker, so I guess I’ll believe it when I see it!

Did you get an email before you called them?

 

[itbesandrodoe]

Well I just told my dealer to swap my 2DR Big Bend SaS w/ Modular Bumper & Safari Bar to a 4DR with the same specs but with the soft top. I am just tired of these MIC issues and with the lack of any information on the 2DR I think this was the best move.

 

[Wanted33]

In my unsolicited opinion, this would be the best course of action:

"We're sorry to share with you that the Molded-in-Color hard tops arriving at our production facility from a supplier have failed to meet the standards we have for a product as exciting as Bronco. Going forward, all Bronco 4-door units will be shipped with the factory soft top until a new hard top is available, at which point one will be available to you through your dealer. Two-door Broncos will be shipped with the Bestop soft top. As an appreciation for your patience and understanding, we've automatically credited your FordPass Rewards account with an additional 25,000 points, and you'll soon receive an email with a lifetime premium membership to Bronco Nation. There's still some wild out there, and we can't wait to help you find it."

Cutting their loss NOW would make a huge difference in what they're on the hook for down the road.

Very good thought Ross. If Ford would just do this, and offer the MIC top at a reasonable price of around 800-1000 bucks and no shipping with free installation they could just send my OBX with the soft top. Heck, I would even give them the soft top back if they wanted. But, getting a large company turned in a different direction is like turning a huge cargo ship around in a shallow bay.

@Ford Motor Company are you seeing this? If you want to get Bronco's build, here is the way. Shipping Bronco's with defective hard tops, and then replacing them down the road just doesn't seem cost effective in my mind.

 

[sliwa]

Did you get an email before you called them?

Had I checked my vin tracker at the time that I called I probably would have seen the window sticker link, but I called just because I was getting antsy for info. Window sticker was available by the next morning!

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