Why is Ford letting the cars stack up at the plant?

[dave1946]

Call me frustrated. I don't understand why if ford knows what the problems are with the vehicles coming off the line, they wouldn't fix them in a reasonable amount of times. Every day that they delay in correcting the problem and ship the vehicle, I become more disgusted with ford and wonder why I bought the vehicle. You would think they would have someone fixing the vehicle as soon as possible. Does anyone know why the vehicles are stacking up?

 

[Joe Dirt]

They could be waiting for parts. Lots of times, it's not Ford, but the suppliers. Good illustration- the Windstar axles. Guy at work has his sitting at the dealer for an axle replacement under recall. Ford gave him (and everyone affected that needs one) a rental vehicle. He's had his for about a month now, and the dealer told him yesterday that they're getting 2-3 kits a week in, there are about 60 vans in the yard. Told him "...maybe April we'll see a kit for you"

If the suppliers are weak, it makes Ford look bad. Unfortunately, if it's a new vehicle, and something changes like a part design, it has to go to- for example- engineering, CAD, mock-up, safety testing, if needed- gov't approval, final design approval, raw materials order for the supplier, programming, production, and delivery to the plant, when it can finally be put on the vehicle.

 

[RSNovi]

I think Ford is much more conservative about sending out cars which might need to be fixed while in service. It improves the quality image and reduce cost to fix. Unfortunately you might need to wait a little bit longer for your order.

 

[SWEET ST]

I think it would be better to hold the ex at the assembly plant than going back to a dealer to have what ever fixed then. It is also cheaper to have it fix at the plant. I realy think its more like and mft issue than a part issue. But i say i rather have it done right from the begining than be upset down the line !!!

 

[uniquename]

Who is to say it isn't a transport issue? At this point, isn't it all speculation? I'd like to know also...but no one really seems to have the answers.

 

[IZwack]

They are waiting for a longer piece to come down the line so that they can clear out a few rows

 

[jackey]

This email was received today by someone on the Explorer FB page:
Says a lot of nothing...but the tone sure doesn't sound good.
I ordered my EX in Jan, still no VIN..and while I'm frustrated with lack of info..maybe I should be glad!
Good Morning Mr. Lucas,

Earlier this morning, we received a response from our research department in regards to your order status. We w...ere informed that there is currently a hold on all 2011 Explorers. The reason for the hold has not been disclosed at this time. Unfortunately, we do not have an estimated time for when your Explorer will be released from the hold. For the most up to date, detailed information, please continue to work with your dealership. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused.

Cindy J. Porter
Marketing Specialist
Ford Motor Company
1-800-334-4375
cporte54@ford.com

 

[esandye]

I did get my order processed and have a buid date of the week of march 14. Car was ordered 12-30. Seni reported to me today! New scheduling must not be totally on hold.

 

[1995E]

Well think about it this way. Is it better for it to have problems while you have it or while Ford has it?

 

[gabella]

I did get my order processed and have a buid date of the week of march 14. Car was ordered 12-30. Seni reported to me today! New scheduling must not be totally on hold.

Craig on the facebook page said that there's "no hold on production - Craig"

Also, I saw somewhere (facebook again, maybe?) that Ford only gets paid when the cars leave the factory. So, they want them to be shipped quickly. I, however, appreciate that they are working hard to ship a quality product. Granted, there have been glitches (esp. with the early builds), but I think it's good they are continuing to refine their processes.

 

[scottfmc]

Some must be shipping. My dealer has two confirmed on rail and one on convoy truck.

 

[yourstone]

No holds at the assembly plant as of yesterday according to Cory @ Ford on FB. And we will all feel less stress if we keep in mind that the vehicle is a complex assembly. And from an article I read last month Ford is experiencing demand for the new Explorer that is approximately triple what had been expected. Ford is being very careful before shipping them out. My limited was assembled on about 2/14, held about a day or two for quality checks, and now it is awaiting transport. I might see it around 3/4.

 

[argeboy]

Hi guys, reading all your comments about this hold back. The response to Jackey email about his order from Cindy said that all explorers on hold, does this mean all, already built explorers? or Built and production? my reading of the threads it sounds like that they found the problem but the already built Fords have to be fixed. and the new production is going ahead. Is this what you guys are trying to say?

 

[Edgieguy]

Better to be fixed at the plant then at the dealer in my opinion. We got our Edge Sport november 7, and it went back for MFT sync updates twice. Then it had a right pull that needed correcting. My driver door alignment is off, actually everyone's is, so it'll go back for that too. Is rather they get it right and I get to enjoy the vehicle, rather then getting the vehicle and being at the dealer w it several times.

 

[argeboy]

I agree rather at the plant then having to go through what you have been. We already did that with our Edge in 2007. My concern was if the hold part is for the building process or if was for the car sitting at the lot ,because my EXP is build and waiting to be realese sinse the 17th so thinking about that the ETA is the week of the 28th for our truck. When are we going to get it?

 

[dco43054]

Call me frustrated. I don't understand why if ford knows what the problems are with the vehicles coming off the line, they wouldn't fix them in a reasonable amount of times. Every day that they delay in correcting the problem and ship the vehicle, I become more disgusted with ford and wonder why I bought the vehicle. You would think they would have someone fixing the vehicle as soon as possible. Does anyone know why the vehicles are stacking up?

Rather than being happy they are working to ship a quality product, you are disgusted that they are taking the time to fix it rather than slapping it out to get it to you quickly?

I'd be commending them for being cautious, especially this early in the production of a new model.

 

[Carguy3J]

Rather than being happy they are working to ship a quality product, you are disgusted that they are taking the time to fix it rather than slapping it out to get it to you quickly?

I'd be commending them for being cautious, especially this early in the production of a new model.

Well, if I was in that position, I would want what I ordered, when it was promised, AND done right before I got it. You are approaching it as though people shouldn't be able to expect all three. With as many problems as are popping up, clearly Ford did NOT finish all the testing and development that they should have done BEFORE accepting orders and promising delivery dates.

If it were me, I would call Ford's customer service dept., and send a letter to the CEO, informing that I'm going to the dealer to cancel my order, since they have materially breached the contract. I would expect a full refund of any/all deposits, immediately. Maybe, after the guinea pigs who still waited for their's started reporting that Ford finally got it right, then maybe a would consider placing a new order.

If, on the other hand, I was someone who already took delivery, and started having as many problems as has been reported, well..... After the third one, I would be invoking the Lemon Law, and telling Ford to buy it back, and maybe call me when they can get them out of the factory right the first time.

All part of the reason why I doubt I would EVER buy a new car, even if I could afford it. $15-$20k spent on restoring/modifying an older vehicle (car/truck/whatever you want) would give something better and more reliable then anything you can buy off the showroom; as well as being custom tailored to what you want/need. Not to mention, if you build it yourself, you'll know every inch of it.
On the other hand $1500-$3000 for a good used vehicle gives much of the value/utility of a new car, without the payments, increased insurance, or depreciation.

 

[yourstone]

It is interesting to me how people vary across the spectrum from those that appear to have zero tolerance for delays and quality holds to those people who are willling to deal with it. All of the major auto manufacturers have had quality related recalls within the last five years. Go to my posted link. So what are you going to buy if you expect the manufacturer to be error free?http://www.autorecalls.us/

 

[jackey]

Hi guys, reading all your comments about this hold back. The response to Jackey email about his order from Cindy said that all explorers on hold, does this mean all, already built explorers? or Built and production? my reading of the threads it sounds like that they found the problem but the already built Fords have to be fixed. and the new production is going ahead. Is this what you guys are trying to say?

It appeared to be just those already built waiting for shipment. They were/are going over them again. As each gets fixed(if need be) the QH comes off & it is moved to shipping.
This being said, when the vehicle is in normal daily use bugs can still happen & updates will still need to be done.
Most car brands are going more & more to everything being computer controlled.
Anyone remember when they first started using computer chips in cars? LOTS of bugs...

 

[yourstone]

It appeared to be just those already built waiting for shipment. They were/are going over them again. As each gets fixed(if need be) the QH comes off & it is moved to shipping.
This being said, when the vehicle is in normal daily use bugs can still happen & updates will still need to be done.
Most car brands are going more & more to everything being computer controlled.
Anyone remember when they first started using computer chips in cars? LOTS of bugs...

Jackey you are right on. This new Explorer is on the edge of the technology envelope. Bugs will crop up on new tech. We all know of the iPhone atenna issue. Should Apple have known about that before assembly? One could argue that. One could also argue that new innovations should not be expected to be perfect. Ford is fixing the bugs as carefully and efficiently as they can. I am excited that the new Explorer is so cutting edge. I don't expect it to operate flawlessly. That is part of the excitement to me.