Ford tells Bronco customers production will be delayed

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Ford Motor Co. has notified customers waiting for the new Ford Bronco that production dates have been delayed two weeks in some cases, three weeks in others.

Ford calls the timing an "adjustment."

"We are still on track," Kelli Felker, Ford global manufacturing and labor communications manager, told the Free Press on Sunday. "These letters are related specifically to the downtime that we announced."

On May 5, she confirmed a series of factory production cuts that included extending the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne for the weeks of May 17 and May 24. Felker texted the Free Press on May 5, "Important to note that Bronco remains on track to go on sale this summer."

2021 Ford Bronco is displayed in the courtyard at the Ford Motor Co. Product Development Center in Dearborn, Mich. on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. The PDC, which saw the development of every Ford designed for America for over six decades, is being torn down to make room for a new high-tech campus.
2021 Ford Bronco is displayed in the courtyard at the Ford Motor Co. Product Development Center in Dearborn, Mich. on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. The PDC, which saw the development of every Ford designed for America for over six decades, is being torn down to make room for a new high-tech campus.

Bronco production has been impacted by COVID-19, semiconductors and delays related to removable tops. An earlier notice warned of a three-month delay, so this latest update seems like just a hiccup, buyers said.

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Jeff King, vice president and general manager at Bozard Ford Lincoln in St. Augustine, Florida, has been talking about getting a Bronco First Edition for months. When contacted by the Free Press on Sunday, he acknowledged that he, too, received a letter from the company. They're pushing his production date back 14 days to the week of June 28.

"It's like most things these days," King said, "everything just takes a little longer than it used to."

Images of letters emailed by Ford on Saturday have been provided to the Free Press and posted on social media by Bronco enthusiasts.

Jeff Bowers shared his letter on Facebook that showed the original production date had moved from the week of June 14 to the week of July 5 for his Bronco Badlands model.

He wasn't alone.

  • Larry Martin posted an image of his letter that showed his Bronco Badlands' date had moved from the week of June 7 to the week of June 28.

  • Margaret Santopietro Hendricks wrote her Bronco moved from the week of June 7 to the week of June 28.

  • Robert Peterson said his Bronco moved from the week of June 21 to the week of July 5.

  • John Morris said his Bronco moved from the week of June 21 to the week of July 12.

  • Shane Dougherty said his Bronco moved from the week of June 28 to the week of July 19.

"At least they are consistent for the most part," Morris wrote.

Travis Mullen posted, "What's 3 weeks when it's already been a significant wait???"

Mark Richter wrote, "My first Bronco order is #53. I have Two ordered. Why would Ford send this on a Saturday night? This is getting annoying. By the time I receive the car it will be 2022."

Ford has said the overwhelming demand will, in fact, push some orders into next year.

An all-new 2021 Ford Bronco rolled off the assembly line in Wayne on September 23, 2020.
An all-new 2021 Ford Bronco rolled off the assembly line in Wayne on September 23, 2020.

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Contact Phoebe Wall Howard at 313-222-6512 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Bronco customers learn production will be delayed in letter from Ford

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