Ford will sell & deliver Mavericks without chips controlling non-safety critical features

[CACTI_HYBRID]

I'm with you.

However, in thinking about this some more, there is a way that Ford may be thinking of, that could work for at least for some customers. It revolves around dealer installed integrated circuits.

Usually today's (and last 30+ years) circuit boards use surface mounted components assembled and soldered mostly by robots. However, integrated circuits can also be mounted with a socket soldered to the circuit board, with the integrated circuit, the "chip", inserted into the socket after the basic board is built.

Now it costs a little more to use a socket, which are normally used with big integrated circuits with very large pin counts, like microprocessors, that just can't easily be soldered to the board via surface mounting. Some integrated circuits come with an option for socket or surface mount packaging (or even the old through-hole packaging). Now, if the key missing chips were to be mounted via a socket, it would be easy to build the circuit board with just the socket, which would be surface mounted, and then assembled as a module that can be easily opened up for rework. The module with the socket(s) would be built at the supplier factory and shipped without the constrained chips to the Ford assembly plant, with the vehicle then built and shipped to the dealer. Then, when available, missing chips could then be shipped to the dealer, and any dealer tech could then insert the right chips into the right sockets, thus completing assembly in the field. No special skills are required. I spent 40 years in IT, and while I'm all thumbs, even I have pushed many an integrated circuit into a socket. It's not hard. Ford ships the truck, and holds title until the vehicle is complete. Maybe the buyer pays a lease equal to their payment until assembly is completed. That detail could be worked out, or maybe it can't really be sold until the chips arrive for field installation. Dealer gets vehicle to show and "sell" and the customer gets a truck, or at least gets their vehicle held with a deposit in the lot until chips arrive. They can see it on the lot, have paperwork, and know it's being held for them,. A lot of the vehicles could possibly be completed before the customer takes delivery or even if they sit with a deposit, it allows stuff to be done in parallel. Keeps things moving and provides better service to both the dealer and the end-user customer.

Something like this could work, if acceptable to the end-user customer. Maybe Ford is saying by year-end to allow time for the circuit boards involved for the vehicles involved to be reworked to include sockets. All speculation, but I think more details will come out in the coming months.

However, for our Mavericks today, I think we are just going to have to wait for MY2022 to finish and thus just be patient. We'll see what happens. I'm still hoping I get my truck yet this model year.

Regardless of the design of the "module" or whatever you wanna call it, what if it's mounted in a difficult-to-reach location, requires the dash to be pulled out, various engine parts be removed, or other major surgery to get to the "socket?" Do you really want to have the dealer's mechanics disassembling your new truck? How about the time it will take to get that scheduled and the work performed? Will the dealer be providing you a loaner while this takes place? Even the easiest recall fixes are typically a PITA for a customer. Maybe Ford should just sell us a "kit" and we could assemble our vehicles ourselves? That makes about as much sense.

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[Dohaman]

I say go for it Ford....makes some sense to me. I'd rather have delivery now and return to the dealership in the future for the needed parts......you're probably going for service (warranty or regular service anyway)!

ONly the vehicle mentioned in the article will be impacted by the chip shortage. The Vehicles impacted include Ford Super Duty pickups, Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator!

 

[davnau]

Regardless of the design of the "module" or whatever you wanna call it, what if it's mounted in a difficult-to-reach location, requires the dash to be pulled out, various engine parts be removed, or other major surgery to get to the "socket?" Do you really want to have the dealer's mechanics disassembling your new truck? How about the time it will take to get that scheduled and the work performed? Will the dealer be providing you a loaner while this takes place? Even the easiest recall fixes are typically a PITA for a customer. Maybe Ford should just sell us a "kit" and we could assemble our vehicles ourselves? That makes about as much sense.

If it takes more than an hour of a tech's time to do this, in other words, more than a "while you wait" scenario, then Ford has bigger problems in having designed a vehicle with hard to reach modules, which can and do fail in the field over time. They are in modules to make it a field replaceable unit, and if they are too hard to get at and replace, it kind of defeats the whole purpose of designing things this way. As I said, the customer would have to agree up front and know what is involved.

If the customer does not like it, they can walk and buy or do something else. Just be told up front what all is involved and how much time the shop work will take. It at least provides options.

Everything in life has tradeoffs. Are things ideal - of course not. But in these crazy times, it's a possible workaround. We'll see - it may never happen.

 

[Wasatch-Man]

Ford will sell partially built vehicles awaiting chips or related components that control non-safety critical features, it told dealers today.

Dealers will get the missing chips within 1 year to install on the already-sold vehicles, Ford said.

news story:


DETROIT – Amid an ongoing chip shortage, Ford is reportedly planning to ship and sell vehicles without certain non-critical chips as the automaker deals with a pile of unfinished vehicles.

Automotive News reports that Ford told dealerships on Saturday that they plan to sell vehicles without chips for some non-safety features, with plans to install them in the already-sold cars within a year.

Ford, like other automakers, has been dealing with a shortage of semiconductor microchips, and have a growing inventory of vehicles waiting for chips.

Ford isn’t the first to eliminate some chip-powered features. GM temporarily dropped heated seats in some models earlier this year.

So, If my Maverick, XLT, Lux Pkg, CP-360 has a scheduled build date for the week of April 11th, does that mean that my truck should have all the chips for it? I didn't get any messages anywhere indicating that they didn't have all the chips.


**EDIT**

Are we going to find out that chips are missing when it arrives at the dealer, or through some type of notice/email on the specific chips missing for our particular order?

 

[Nittany]

Ford will sell partially built vehicles awaiting chips or related components that control non-safety critical features, it told dealers today.

Dealers will get the missing chips within 1 year to install on the already-sold vehicles, Ford said.

news story:


DETROIT – Amid an ongoing chip shortage, Ford is reportedly planning to ship and sell vehicles without certain non-critical chips as the automaker deals with a pile of unfinished vehicles.

Automotive News reports that Ford told dealerships on Saturday that they plan to sell vehicles without chips for some non-safety features, with plans to install them in the already-sold cars within a year.

Ford, like other automakers, has been dealing with a shortage of semiconductor microchips, and have a growing inventory of vehicles waiting for chips.

Ford isn’t the first to eliminate some chip-powered features. GM temporarily dropped heated seats in some models earlier this year.

I would probably have no problem with that, depending on what is missing. If it is the heated seats, no problem. Just get me my Maverick hybrid and I'll bring it back in when the missing chip(s) arrive to have them installed.

 

[225er]

For my xl hybrid with only cp360 chip constraint I wouldn’t mind at all

 

[Espeer]

I think its going to get a lot worse. What do you think all this warfare related tech is using that everyone is using in the Ukraine/Russian conflict? All this tech that is being destroyed is going to have to be replaced, and what do you think is going to get higher priority, someone's heated seats or a Javelin?

I think this is going to get rough before it gets better, most of the planned chip manufacturing facilities are going to take a couple years to get up and running. And we had better hope China does not make a move on Taiwan, or things will get wayyyy worse.

The computer hardware in missiles, planes, tanks, etc. is decades old and almost certainly has sufficient spares stocked in a warehouse. The DoD isn't going to take chances with their obsolete stuff being at the mercy of the commercial supply chains.

 

[YOBY]

Indeed! I had personal experience with one of those "fine American automobiles." A 1972. Two words sum it all up - Chevy Vega.

Very funny, I had a 72 Vega GT (MOTOR TRENDS CAR OF THE YEAR) designed by John Delorian for GM. The guys working on the line didn't make it worthless. It was the GM Engineers and Bean Counters that ruined the project.

They had to get to market in a hurry to beat Lee Iacocca and the Pinto piece of crap.

Sounds familiar, cut three years off the development time of the Maverick to beat the Santa Cruz to market.

So, it's still a Fine American Automobile, designed by those fine American Engineers, but instead of being constructed by highly paid union workers in America, they moved most of their vehicle manufacturing to Mexico to maximize their profits. The American Way

 

[mikes]

Well finally some better news on this subject, IMO, (assuming article is accurate) which I have no reason to doubt. I don't think any of the vehicles are "sitting in the desert", "rat invested", etc., as noted by some on this forum, I would believe they are on Ford's secure property or leased secured property. I would be fine with the way this article on the subject describes the proposal: https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2021/07/19/ford-chip-shortage-vehicles/8013003002/

reading this it looks like it is a storage solution and the vehicles will not get sold but maybe that is an optimistic outlook. either way i will wait for a completed truck. this could be a disaster for so many reasons

 

[Chris_G]

Very funny, I had a 72 Vega GT (MOTOR TRENDS CAR OF THE YEAR) designed by John Delorian for GM. The guys working on the line didn't make it worthless. It was the GM Engineers and Bean Counters that ruined the project.

They had to get to market in a hurry to beat Lee Iacocca and the Pinto piece of crap.

Sounds familiar, cut three years off the development time of the Maverick to beat the Santa Cruz to market.

So, it's still a Fine American Automobile, designed by those fine American Engineers, but instead of being constructed by highly paid union workers in America, they moved most of their vehicle manufacturing to Mexico to maximize their profits. The American Way

Damn, I thought this was going to be a Cosworth Vega story

 

[B_kiz]

Ford can have my start/stop chip back if they want it

 

[710-oil-614]

LOL.

Nope.

 

[YOBY]

Damn, I thought this was going to be a Cosworth Vega story

Couldn't afford that black gem. Besides, I don't think they arrived until 1974.

 

[psklenar]

This is sad for all those waiting. First off we outsourced too much of our technology, secondly we outsourced to people who hate us, all in the name of companies making a dollar more here and there. ...

One correction I'd make is ... "all in the name of company shareholders making a dollar more here and there." It may seem a minor nit, but a large percentage of stocks are held by investment companies for retirement plans (pension plans, IRAs, 401k's, etc etc etc).

Yes, the company and the "owners" want to make money, but the stockholders have the real power and force the penny pinching ... sometimes with company in complete agreement and sometimes against the company wishes.

pat----

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