Which is the greatest PR disaster from Ford?

[Headsong]

The Explorer/Firestone Tire explosion was a pretty big deal as well. I did get some free tires out of it though for my 97.

Firestone and Ford tire controversy - Wikipedia

If we're being hystorical....I could have included the Pinto, the Dual I-beams, and the Exploder rollovers....

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[NVBronco813]

I really think forcing customers to wait 2-3 years but giving units to dealers is the biggest slap in the face.

To me it’s the biggest display of “we don’t actually care about you or what you want.”

 

[dcg2]

Hard top fiasco - far and away. Although, there is a certain element to all of this where we need to give some concession. Their reservation style roll-out made it so we became involved during very early stages and watched how the sausage was made...through a pandemic...and supply chain issues...

If they sold the Bronco regular way, and we knew very little from the onset, besides the occasional news briefing circling what quarter the Bronco would start being delivered to dealers for sale, then it would be a VERY different experience for us. We would be a heck of a lot less stressed in that scenario, and would also need to pay ADM. But you could certainly make the argument that if Ford wants to do this reservation style roll out they need to be prepared for more PR involvement.

Yeah we don't need your reasonableness and logic around these parts buddy. Grab a pitch fork and git to pokin'

 

[TimmH]

I get the Dealers first thing.

It's not like they are filling lot's with Broncos, just getting a demo drive vehicle. It's how they keep the build logs full, once the pre-orders are done.

 

[cybersal]

I was going to say Edsel, too.

 

[Toaster]

Priority orders. Just a straight-up poke in the eye to reservation holders without a good reason for it. It made everything that followed worse once it was apparent that Ford didn't care about reservation holders.

The reason priority orders are a thing are so some customers who have been loyal to their dealership for a long time can get treated to a hard to get vehicle early on. If you bought 5 new cars a year from your dealer you would want some special treatment on a brand new vehicle too.

 

[swooshdave]

I picked the last three but the reality is that none of these are a PR disaster yet. So far this is only news here and no one else cares.

As for reservations being a bad thing, think about the alternative. Ford could have just built Broncos for dealer stock and then taken some custom orders. But the way they did it we all got to customize our Broncos and a vast majority of us will get our Broncos before anyone else.

 

[Bituman]

you guys are too young…..

Biggest PR disaster = Pinto exploding cars

Have you ever heard of an Edsel?

Edit: oops, Td66 beat me to it.

 

[Brongo]

I still think the time Mike Levine tossed a basket of kittens in a bonfire at MAP and livestreamed it, was the worst.

Actually no. This Bronco launch is much worse.

 

[stratego]

I really think forcing customers to wait 2-3 years but giving units to dealers is the biggest slap in the face.

To me it’s the biggest display of “we don’t actually care about you or what you want.”

The mannequins being sent to dealers are maybe 1-2% of production, it doesn't make a real difference on when you get your bronco, but gives many times more people a chance to see one in person, and maybe confirm/cancel orders if not what they thought.

 

[Razorback]

So I voted from a B6G perspective, but others are right, that this launch isn't a PR disaster from a public perspective; yet. They can still turn it around. But there are probably 22k members here. Probably about 30% are actually active. So that's 6600 people out of 150k reservations that have been disappointed 4-5% of just reservations; not even counting that the rest of the public while interested in the Bronco haven't even reserved one.

 

[dgorsett]

My brother had a Pinto, nifty little car, but then he never got rear ended so
I had an Explorer with the Firestones, liked it, but the tires never blew up so
I've owned several Twin I Beam and TTB vehicles and liked them too

I guess ignorance is bliss.

 

[Big Boss]

As the old saying goes, 'takes two to tango'....we have no way of knowing what that Webasto contract says, nor how much lead time its execution provided. Ford is aggressively throwing Webasto under the bus...though to be honest I don't know squat about Webasto, but I know Ford has shit in their messgear quite a bit last few years.

True but the way Ford has kind of publicly thrown them under the bus, tells me its pretty much entirely Webasto's fault.

 

[Russ1Bronco]

All of these are petty or just flat out wrong. Ford rolled out the bronco in the middle of a global pandemic and began delivering Broncos only a few months off their original projections while other models/makes are being held up by chip shortages. The Off-roadeo is awesome and the vehicle is meeting or exceeding expectations. None of this is a PR "disaster" for anyone outside of the whiners on this forum. In a year no one is going to remember these "disasters."

...Maybe Ford should include a pacifier...no charge with every complainer who pisses and moans every fuking day...

 

[Brongo]

you guys are too young…..

Biggest PR disaster = Pinto exploding cars

I read about those in my history class.

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