No updates on 2021 Mach E Orders @Ford

[rohankumar]

You're getting a 2022 model year though others may have pointed this out. A 2021 model year cannot be produced past Dec 31, 2021. Ford has been manufacturing 2022 MMEs since mid/late Nov.

While I agree this absolutely sucks and feel your pain you always have the right to cancel the order and get the deposit back.

Read the room .............. all of us on this thread are getting 2021 models that haven't been built yet well into 2022. I am not going to cancel a car that I waited for over 6 months just so the dealer can gouge another customer. We all just need some answers.

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[RickMachE]

Those are some pretty serious allegations over there. Are you saying that Ford is cherry picking vehicle deliveries based on whether or not you are placing the order at a desired dealership in a big city market. All orders and $500 deposit should carry the same weight irrespective of whichever part of the country they are placed at. Does Ford not realize that in this day and world every customer is a potential brand ambassador for Ford? Do they want to overload these select few dealerships with orders instead of distributing them equitably across their breadth of dealerships?

Your assumptions aren't correct.

Ford allocates orders to dealers. Some get more than others. That's just fact.
Ford also allocates orders to states, with states that have adopted California's zero emission guidelines getting priority. That's also just fact.

Distribution of new car deliveries is not done on a first come, first served basis. That's a fact also.

This is not new news.

My 5/29/21 order is coming much later than others that ordered later than I did.

My 5/20/21 Lightning reservation is not going to be a 2022 order, as I'm #72 on my dealership's list out of close to 300 people, yet people who reserved later at different dealerships will get a 2022.

That's the way it works.

 

[rohankumar]

A few points.

1) Ford, like other companies, is making cars even when they're lacking some chips. These cars have lots and lots of chips, many of them cheap and a base function (like seatbelt), and are easy for them to add later. So they make the car, park it, and then put the chip in when they have inventory.

2) Ford, and most auto manufacturers, doesn't communicate directly to customers, and doesn't have systems that pinpoint the location / status of each car in a customer-facing system. They aren't Amazon, UPS, FedEx, or even the USPS. For the internal systems that do provide the ability to see status and location, some of those systems also provide information / abilities that they may not want to provide to customer-facing reps, and they can't control how a rep communicates information.

3) When you take the uncertainty of chip supply, the backlog in freight train transportation, the backlog in truck transportation, and add it all together, there isn't a person or a system on earth that can predict when a car will hit a dealership.

4) If you ordered a Mach-E thinking that the world would be perfect, with a known chip supply problem, and well-publicized transportation issues, then you were sadly mistaken.

5) All these emails to dealers, and calls to Ford, are simply doing nothing but further stretching out the customer support systems. Many dealers are pushed to the limits with Covid right now, including employees out for protocols. My dealership's GM emailed me info about my Lightning priority last night at 10:14PM, when he should be relaxing or sleeping. I found out that I'm #72 on a list of nearly 300 reservations, and they got 9 MY 22 slots. In other words, I'm not getting a 2022, and there's no reason to bother him or look anything up for another 6+ months.

I ordered my Mach-E on 5/29. It was converted to a 2022 in early October. On 10/22, my dealership rep (GM) said it was scheduled for the week of 12/20 and that may change. I have not heard anything from him since then, but he knows I know how to check status online. Ford last communicated a status on 12/24, telling me that production had changed to the week of 12/20, which of course I already knew. And as of now I have zero update on status.

No one is going to change anything for your car. Yes, it makes sense to express your displeasure to Ford management, but that probably won't do anything. They know of the issues.

As I have stated before on this forum as an individual that's worked in manufacturing and operations all his life I am very well aware of how production scheduling works. However the glaring flaw in your logic is that Ford continues to build and place microchips in cars that are being assembled well after our production date. These chips are not produced next door at a mom and pop shop, they have well defined production and batch schedules. Ford needs to commit to general date when this backlog of 2021 cars will be getting their chips retrofitted. Our cars just sit off to the site awaiting chips. Also this is not a dealership issue . This is about Ford taking its customers for granted.

Also explain to me how you get bumped to a 2022 model with a May order date while many other with orders well after yours are still stuck with a 2021 model.

If they know of the issues they also need to have a solution in mind. Just stating the obvious isn't a fix, they need to acknowledge what's happening and be transparent with their communications.

 

[RickMachE]

As I have stated before on this forum as an individual that's worked in manufacturing and operations all his life I am very well aware of how production scheduling works. However the glaring flaw in your logic is that Ford continues to build and place microchips in cars that are being assembled well after our production date. These chips are not produced next door at a mom and pop shop, they have well defined production and batch schedules. Ford needs to commit to general date when this backlog of 2021 cars will be getting their chips retrofitted. Our cars just sit off to the site awaiting chips. Also this is not a dealership issue . This is about Ford taking its customers for granted.

Also explain to me how you get bumped to a 2022 model with a May order date while many other with orders well after yours are still stuck with a 2021 model.

If they know of the issues they also need to have a solution in mind. Just stating the obvious isn't a fix, they need to acknowledge what's happening and be transparent with their communications.

I got bumped to a 2022 because my dealership had no more 2021 slots. And maybe he pushed me down the list (I didn't ask) because I bought a 2021 off his lot that was a cancelled order. I'm delighted to get a 2022 over a 2021, actually paying less due to the bumping. And the car will be stickered thousands higher.

I don't believe I posted any logic that you can find a flaw with. I posted the way things work. You say you understand how it works, but your post clearly shows that you don't, because you think it's a FIFO process. You said " All orders and $500 deposit should carry the same weight irrespective of whichever part of the country they are placed at." That shows you either don't understand the process, or you think your indignation is going to change it.

It's not. New chips come in, they start putting them in cars sitting AND using them on the line at the same time. Quicker on the line, they ship sooner. Makes total sense.

Sorry you're not happy, but that's the way it's working. Should it be better? Yes. Is that going to happen in the next few months, or a year? Nope.

If you don't like it, cancel your order. But you're not going to find any difference anywhere else.

 

[Rfehl62]

Those are some pretty serious allegations over there. Are you saying that Ford is cherry picking vehicle deliveries based on whether or not you are placing the order at a desired dealership in a big city market. All orders and $500 deposit should carry the same weight irrespective of whichever part of the country they are placed at. Does Ford not realize that in this day and world every customer is a potential brand ambassador for Ford? Do they want to overload these select few dealerships with orders instead of distributing them equitably across their breadth of dealerships?

Customers absolutely do not carry the same weight with Ford and to think everyone is the same is naïve. Ford allocates based on volume so, the dealerships with the highest volume get the highest priority. This is no secret and Ford has been doing it for years. I know it does not sound right but, Ford does not care at all about potential brand ambassadors. Unless of course that person has a decent size social media following. Lastly, I can assure you these dealers are not being overloaded.

 

[rohankumar]

"It's not. New chips come in, they start putting them in cars sitting AND using them on the line at the same time. Quicker on the line, they ship sooner. Makes total sense."

If you really think assembling a brand new car and putting chips in it is faster than retrofitting a built car with just missing chips .................... I really don't have much to add.

This thread specifically for people to voice their displeasure about not getting their 2021 models. I don't think you either have a 2021 model nor have anything to add much to the discussion outside of Ford knows about the issues and nothing much can happen from voicing your displeasure.

We are really trying to get a formal response on when we can expect this backlog of 2021 orders to get produced fully and shipped. If you can help please feel free.

 

[kennethjk]

See below- the more they get into e commerce the more they need to up their game


“A new partnership with Stripe will help Fordexpand its capability for e-commerce and dealership transactions such as vehicle reservations, Ford Motor Credit said Monday.

The companies signed a five-year arrangement for Stripe to act as a “premier payment service provider” to Ford dealerships in North America and Europe, Ford Credit said. The captive finance company also has responsibility for other Ford payments.”

 

[lonndog]

BTW, I have an update (or maybe we should say a downdate): Emailed my dealer guy about my "TBD" delivery date. What he sees is my car's status is "moving to storage"; he's never seen that before, he's trying to get more details from Ford, but we know how that goes.

@RickMachE your assertion is that when chips show up, they get plugged into new cars going thru the line and those waiting for chips. It doesn't seem that way, since the guys in the '22 MY threads are gleefully watching their cars come online and then going to "built" status. Mine, for example, which started building on 12/11 is still there, with this awesome new TBD completion status. And it might not be due to chips. I sent it an activation request, it's waiting for someone to push the button. Which might mean The Chips Are In, but other parts aren't. But heck, how are these other cars being completed then?

To repeat myself, I'm not terribly surprised, just dismayed that they can't update their processes to do this a bit more equitably. They -- and the rest of the world -- never have experienced conditions as they are now: Parts shortages, labor outages, and a hot new car that people are ordering directly (make that a few hot new cars) in record numbers. I kinda picture that scene from "I Love Lucy", where the chocolates on the assembly line are coming at her and Ethyl so fast they can't process them fast enough, so they start eating them and throwing them and whatnot. Except this is the opposite: Half-built cars get stuffed into corners, by the dozens, to be dealt with...um...at some point, and Lucy and Ethyl Ford are doing their damnedness to try to keep it all straight.

It'd be funny if it wasn't so not funny.

 

[agdad]

BTW, I have an update (or maybe we should say a downdate): Emailed my dealer guy about my "TBD" delivery date. What he sees is my car's status is "moving to storage"; he's never seen that before, he's trying to get more details from Ford, but we know how that goes.

@RickMachE your assertion is that when chips show up, they get plugged into new cars going thru the line and those waiting for chips. It doesn't seem that way, since the guys in the '22 MY threads are gleefully watching their cars come online and then going to "built" status. Mine, for example, which started building on 12/11 is still there, with this awesome new TBD completion status. And it might not be due to chips. I sent it an activation request, it's waiting for someone to push the button. Which might mean The Chips Are In, but other parts aren't. But heck, how are these other cars being completed then?

To repeat myself, I'm not terribly surprised, just dismayed that they can't update their processes to do this a bit more equitably. They -- and the rest of the world -- never have experienced conditions as they are now: Parts shortages, labor outages, and a hot new car that people are ordering directly (make that a few hot new cars) in record numbers. I kinda picture that scene from "I Love Lucy", where the chocolates on the assembly line are coming at her and Ethyl so fast they can't process them fast enough, so they start eating them and throwing them and whatnot. Except this is the opposite: Half-built cars get stuffed into corners, by the dozens, to be dealt with...um...at some point, and Lucy and Ethyl Ford are doing their damnedness to try to keep it all straight.

It'd be funny if it wasn't so not funny.

 

[agdad]

LUCY.............We got a problem !

 

[breeves002]

Read the room .............. all of us on this thread are getting 2021 models that haven't been built yet well into 2022. I am not going to cancel a car that I waited for over 6 months just so the dealer can gouge another customer. We all just need some answers.

If it hasn't been built yet it's a 2022 model year at this point. Go on your portal and send me your pre-production VIN. I bet it is a 2022 VIN... I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure they can't produce a 2021 model year at this point since we are now in 2022.

 

[devmach-e]

You're getting a 2022 model year though others may have pointed this out. A 2021 model year cannot be produced past Dec 31, 2021. Ford has been manufacturing 2022 MMEs since mid/late Nov.

While I agree this absolutely sucks and feel your pain you always have the right to cancel the order and get the deposit back.

Please define “manufacturing” for us. Is it when body panels start being stamped out? When the frame enters the paint shop? When the modules start being populated in module tracking tool? Job 1 for starting to assemble MY2022 MMEs was January 3rd, 2022, not mid to late November.

 

[breeves002]

Please define “manufacturing” for us. Is it when body panels start being stamped out? When the frame enters the paint shop? Job 1 for starting to assemble MY2022 MMEs was January 3rd, 2022, not mid to late November.

I thought the change over for assembly was Nov but I can't recall where I read that so I could be wrong. Either way if your car hasn't been produced yet it is a 2022 was my point.

 

[devmach-e]

I thought the change over for assembly was Nov but I can't recall where I read that so I could be wrong. Either way if your car hasn't been produced yet it is a 2022 was my point.

My car was always going to be a 2022 as of October 1st. It entered the “being built” status on January 4th.

 

[rohankumar]

If it hasn't been built yet it's a 2022 model year at this point. Go on your portal and send me your pre-production VIN. I bet it is a 2022 VIN... I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure they can't produce a 2021 model year at this point since we are now in 2022.

Haha isn't the level of ineptitude pretty shocking. Hopefully you understand why we aren't pleased about this. (See screenshot below)

Btw I noticed that ppl with 12/13/ and 12/20 build weeks have gotten or about to get their vehicles (happy for them). In a latest update my estimated delivery date was just changed from 1/20/22 to 2/22/22.

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