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

[Lunysgwen]

Except we do need china for the rare earth metals that are not present in US soil. That is why most of the chips in the world are produced there. They have the raw materials that we do not. Plus, our workers want to make more than $1.00 an hour, so we would be paying 10 times more for labor on top of buying the expensive raw materials. The whole thing is not as easy as "we don't need China"

Uh. Intel exists and is a thing.

Sponsored

 

[Captain]

Frozen Hershey with almonds, glass of cold milk…. That’s about as much sense talking about could’ve, would’ve, maybe and what if. How about we all stop dancing and wait for the music to start. These threads are getting really annoying.

 

[doubleplay2025]

Who knew heated seats systems needs Chips? No worries, its cloth seats and 95 degree outside. No biggie on waiting. Heck, maybe Ford will send some "swag" for the hassle. Its Ok, my Mav has not arrived anyway

 

[YOBY]

The Automotive News Report Didn't Expand Thier Coverage Enough.

EXPLORER ONLY - MAVERICK NEVER MENTIONED

From Detroit News:

Chip shortage: Ford to sell some Explorers without rear-seat temperature controls

Jordyn Grzelewski
The Detroit News

View Comments
Ford Motor Co. will sell some Explorer SUVs without rear temperature controls as part of a bid to complete transactions and get vehicles into customers' hands sooner amid the lingering global semiconductor shortage.
The number of vehicles this will apply to wasn't immediately clear, as Ford spokesperson Said Deep explained that it depends on the specifications of the Explorer being sold. Not all trim levels offer backseat control over heating and cooling.
Explorers without the semiconductor chip-powered function could begin shipping to dealers as early as this week, according to Deep. Customers who are affected by the change would be offered an unspecified price reduction. Ford plans to have dealers install the components at a later date as chip supplies improve. In the meantime, heating and cooling for rear-seat passengers still will be available via controls in the driver's row.
The move follows a similar one Ford made last year with F-150 customers. To facilitate faster deliveries of the popular pickup truck, Ford offered to sell units at a discount without an automatic stop-start feature.
"It's all about getting vehicle to our customers sooner," said Deep.
Automotive News on Saturday first reported news of Ford's plan to ship and sell vehicles without some semiconductor-powered components for non-safety functions. The Detroit Free Press reported Sunday that Ford would ship Explorers without rear seat controls for temperature and ventilation.

Ford is not the only automaker to make such a move due to the chip shortage, which has hampered auto production worldwide for more than a year and severely curtailed new car output. As of Friday, the global automotive industry had lost more than 929,500 units of planned vehicle production this year, according to estimates from forecasting firm AutoForecast Solutions.
General Motors Co., for example, temporarily removed the option for heated seats for much of its 2022 lineup, though the automaker said there would be a retrofit process to activate those modules at a later date. And, among numerous other examples across brands, electric-vehicle maker Tesla Inc. cut a steering component from some of its vehicles, CNBC reported last month.
[email protected]
Twitter: @JGrzelewski

TIME TO CLOSE THIS BOOK!!!!

 

[davnau]

This is going to turn out to be a logistics nightmare. Expecting dealers to receive lists of missing modules and expecting them to accurately put together a kit of modules tailored to a specific vehicle is a bit much. Customers aren't going to want to make multiple trips to a dealer to get all their missing modules installed.

That's a great point. Different parts will likely arrive at different times. Missing three things could mean three separate trips.

 

[davnau]

Oh, I agree whole heartedly.

But as others have posited, I really suspect that while everyone is using the term "missing chips", the real issue is missing MODULES (which in turn are missing the actual chips). So once the chips are available, the vendor adds them to the modules and sends the modules to Ford or dropships directly to the Dealer Service centers for installation. Dealer Service centers should be able to handle plugging in a module or unplugging a dummy module and replacing it with a working one.

pat----

Agreed. But that is not what one article was talking about. I'm all for replacing whole modules that were built normally in a factory. That's a true field replaceable unit. It's this idea of actually stuffing chips on a board in the field that I don't like. I was just trying to speculate how that may happen.

I'm hoping Ford never implements the idea, and instead, offers repackaged vehicles that minimize the electronics in the future. I know that's hard in today's world, but even with my ordered bare-bones Maverick XL Hybrid with hitch, except for the hybrid drivetrain itself, could have fewer features and I'd still be happy with it.

Things have gotten just so darned complicated in the last 40 years of cars and trucks. In itself, not bad, but when shortages like this happen, things go south quickly. If other components and suppliers can't be substituted, then offer the customer a model with them stripped out. Offer a real, real base model. I've owned luxury cars, and as I age, I user fewer and fewer of the higher-end features. I just want it to go, be cooled in summer and tow my boats, with great gas mileage.

The problem is a model like that would have even lower margin.

 

[davnau]

No Chips...

Nor with this:

 

[davnau]

I skipped the '74 Vega that my college buddy bought and got a Mustang II. Not sure who got the better deal!

Overall, a Mustang II was slightly better, but not by much.

My Dad bought a 1975 Mustang II Ghia with the 2.3L Lima engine. Floor it, and it just laid there, before very slowly build up speed. Thankfully, the speed limit was only 55 mph then. It was plushy - as that was all that could be offered then.

 

[KenT]

Would Co-Pilot 360 chips be “NON-Critical” safety features? These features are NOT required by IIHS for their safety ratings, nor by NHTSA, whereas front break assist is.

 

[Vols44]

Where do consumers draw the line on which ECM's will be acceptable to forgo for up to a year? Are you willing to do without some or all the functions in constrained items like the luxury package CP360 while making your first 12 payments?

Do you expect Ford to send the correct ECM's in a timely manner and have your dealer expedite the installation in your vehicle? Do you have complete faith in the supply chain process from overseas to your driveway?

Who (besides the customer) will keep track of who received what vehicle and what it needs to be the fully functional make, model with options the consumer paid for up front?

Does this mean I have to take my vehicle back to the original dealer or will Ford shake a crystal ball and figure out the dealer location closest to my residence? Imagine a trade in or seller's declaration that the vehicle is not completely assembled and sourcing the missing ECM's as the vehicle's newest owner?

Too many people have rehashed a story that first appeared in print last summer and resurrected it a possible reason "Mavericks are collecting dust in Hermosillo" or appearing on the margin of a Visibility Report as hold, awaiting chips.

 

[Bossman4]

Where do consumers draw the line on which ECM's will be acceptable to forgo for up to a year? Are you willing to do without some or all the functions in constrained items like the luxury package CP360 while making your first 12 payments?

Do you expect Ford to send the correct ECM's in a timely manner and have your dealer expedite the installation in your vehicle? Do you have complete faith in the supply chain process from overseas to your driveway?

Who (besides the customer) will keep track of who received what vehicle and what it needs to be the fully functional make, model with options the consumer paid for up front?

Does this mean I have to take my vehicle back to the original dealer or will Ford shake a crystal ball and figure out the dealer location closest to my residence? Imagine a trade in or seller's declaration that the vehicle is not completely assembled and sourcing the missing ECM's as the vehicle's newest owner?

Too many people have rehashed a story that first appeared in print last summer and resurrected it a possible reason "Mavericks are collecting dust in Hermosillo" or appearing on the margin of a Visibility Report as hold, awaiting chips.

Heard a couple stories from buyers of other cars in the last two days.

One was a BMW buyer who previous car was washed out in Floods last August. Used a relative's car for awhile. Finally accepted a new BMW that was missing parts, the back windows would not roll up and down. BMW said they would fix when they get the parts. So he took it.

The other was a Jeep Cherokee buyer. They ran out of 2022 parts, so they made a run of 3000 Jeeps with 2021 parts.

Alfa Romeo has changed up parts during a model year in the far past, but this is the first I heard of a US Maker doing it. So is that Jeep going to be a collector car in the future?

I think this "temporary" problem may be more common than you think.

 

[KenT]

Might be worth looking at the module list to see what actually could be left out. This is the known module list from another post where some of the guys have been diligently scanning built Mavericks using Forscan.

Many of these modules are essential for driving the vehicle (eg PCM) or mandatory safety functions (eg RCM) and could not be removed.

That leaves few options that could be safely left out, stuff like door modules (DDM/PDM), keyless entry (RTM), wireless charging (WACM) or parking aids (PAM). Some of the biggies for CP360 would be the IPMA (which must contain a big processor) and SODL/R modules.

Other than those few, what else could be left out from a practical or legal compliance perspective? This initiative may be more suited to high spec F150s, which are loaded with additional gadgets.

You are correct. I understand only entire modules can be replaced in the field, and not individual chips in a module. Then, if this is true, I believe only the following non-critical modules can be left off at the factory:
A, any build with Co-pilot 360: SODL & SODR, the side obstacle detection modules left & right (BLIS). The image processing module for lane keeping assist is on EVERY build, so I hope if you ordered Co-pilot 360, they would just turn on the lane assist in this module at the factory.
B, Lariat: PDM & DDM, passenger and driver door modules, which control 1-touch power windows.
C, Lariat Lux: ACM, audio control module, for HD & XM radio; APIM, accessory protocol interface, for Sync 3; CCM, adaptive cruise control; DSP, digital signal processor, for B&O audio; PAM, parking assist, for rear parking sensors; WACM, wire accessory control module, for wireless cell phone charger.
D, Trailer hitch: TRM, trailer module.
E, all else: TCU, telematic control unit, for Ford Pass; RTM, radio transceiver for remote start.

 

[KenT]

You are correct. I understand only entire modules can be replaced in the field, and not individual chips in a module. Then, if this is true, I believe only the following non-critical modules can be left off at the factory:
A, any build with Co-pilot 360: SODL & SODR, the side obstacle detection modules left & right (BLIS). The image processing module for lane keeping assist is on EVERY build, so I hope if you ordered Co-pilot 360, they would just turn on the lane assist in this module at the factory.
B, Lariat: PDM & DDM, passenger and driver door modules, which control 1-touch power windows.
C, Lariat Lux: ACM, audio control module, for HD & XM radio; APIM, accessory protocol interface, for Sync 3; CCM, adaptive cruise control; DSP, digital signal processor, for B&O audio; PAM, parking assist, for rear parking sensors; WACM, wire accessory control module, for wireless cell phone charger.
D, Trailer hitch: TRM, trailer module.
E, all else: TCU, telematic control unit, for Ford Pass; RTM, radio transceiver for remote start.

Only entire modules can be replaced because only entire modules have a part number; THERE ARE NO PART NUMBERS FOR INDIVIDUAL CHIPS.

 

[YOBY]

Only entire modules can be replaced because only entire modules have a part number; THERE ARE NO PART NUMBERS FOR INDIVIDUAL CHIPS.

You do understand Ford IS NOT sending MAVERICKS out with any missing chips or modules. The original Thread Starter should have read EXPLORER NOT MAVERICK.

 

[KenT]

You do understand Ford IS NOT sending MAVERICKS out with any missing chips or modules. The original Thread Starter should have read EXPLORER NOT MAVERICK.

No, the news from Las Vegas is that Ford will withhold modules from all models.

Sponsored