News - Ford to build some F-150s without certain modules due to chip shortage

Ford to build some F-150s without certain modules due to chip shortage
Downtime also planned at plant that builds Ford Escape, Lincoln Corsair



March 18, 2021

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. has begun building some F-150 pickups and Edge crossovers without certain electronic modules due to the ongoing semiconductor shortage and parts disruptions following last month's severe winter weather.

The automaker said it would build and hold affected vehicles for a number of weeks, then ship them to dealers once modules are available and it can finish comprehensive quality checks.

The F-150 pickup, redesigned for the 2021 model year, is the nation's top-selling vehicle and a key profit driver for the automaker. It is built at plants in Michigan and Missouri.

Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker said Thursday the modules needed for the affected vehicles are "tied to basic vehicle functions, such as windshield wiper motors and infotainment features."

Felker said the updates can be performed at an offsite location at a later date, which would protect future production at the affected plants.

The news comes the same week General Motors announced it was building certain 2021 light-duty full-size pickup trucks without a fuel management module, hurting those vehicles' fuel economy performance.

Additionally, Ford Thursday said it was canceling the Thursday evening shift as well as both Friday shifts at its Louisville Assembly Plant. The factory, which builds the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair crossovers, has faced numerous disruptions because of the chip shortage.

Ford said output at the plant would resume Monday on short shift patterns, but would return to normal on Tuesday.

The automaker also said it would suspend production in Europe at its Cologne, Germany, Fiesta plant March 22. The factory was previously down March 1-16.

Ford has said that if the shortage persists through the first half of 2021, it could affect adjusted earnings before interest and taxes by between $1 billion and $2.5 billion. Despite the bottlenecks, Ford earlier this month told dealers they would see "no negative impact" to retail business.

Going to build and hold vehicles until modules are there. Sounds like this shortage crap and limited shifts is going to carry on for most of this year.

GM is doing the same with their Sierra and Silverado.

“The automaker said it would build and hold affected vehicles for a number of weeks, then ship them to dealers once modules are available and it can finish comprehensive quality checks.”

That will give ‘em plenty of time to get that nice rust patina started on the undercarriage.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/18/for...DCqsZC--ZDrJ3M7zcqwv2jU6yyQST55ylGah88fhaXSzs

• A global shortage of semiconductor chips is causing Ford to cancel shifts at two plants and build F-150 pickups and Edge SUVs without certain parts.
• The automaker plans to complete the assembly of the vehicles in “a number of weeks” when the parts, including some electronic components with semiconductors, are available.
• Ford has said the shortage could lower its earnings by $1 billion to $2.5 billion this year.

Ford Motor Co. displays a new 2021 Ford F-150 pickup truck at the Rouge Complex in Dearborn, Michigan, September 17, 2020.
Rebecca Cook | Reuters

Ford Motor on Thursday said the global shortage of semiconductor chips and winter storms impacting the availability of other parts in the U.S. are causing it to cancel shifts at two plants and build F-150 pickups and Edge SUVs without certain parts.

The automaker plans to complete building the F-150 and Edge models in “a number of weeks” when the parts, including some electronic components with semiconductors, are available. The number of vehicles impacted is expected to be “in the thousands,” according to a Ford spokeswoman. She declined to be more specific due to the volatility of the chip shortage.

The production cancellations include three shifts through Friday at a plant in Kentucky that produces Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair crossovers. Ford also confirmed downtime earlier this month as well as a day next week at a plant in Germany that produces the Ford Fiesta car, which is no longer sold in the U.S.

Man I am glad I got mine!!

ldsavow said:

Man I am glad I got mine!!

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+1 to that lol

I wonder if this is ramp 59.

I was about to be pissed, because the headline implies that new recently manufactured trucks will be lacking the necessary chips and still be sent out to customers anyway. Thankfully that is not the case , and they are retaining the trucks until the parts are available.

Knickell said:

I was about to be pissed, because the headline implies that new recently manufactured trucks will be lacking the necessary chips and still be sent out to customers anyway. Thankfully that is no the case , and they are retaining the trucks until the parts are available.

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A fair mistake, as it was reported this week that GM's Sierra's and Silverado's will be delivered to customers without their Active Fuel Management (AFM) Modules, reportedly lowering their MPG by 1. I agree that I'm glad Ford isn't short-shipping their trucks, even though I am also among those of us who are waiting and waiting and waiting and ...

Here is some wishful thinking, maybe Ford will prioritize customer order trucks to receive the limited number of modules they can make and the trucks sent to wait to be completed will be general build or dealer orders??

mmdpg said:

Here is some wishful thinking, maybe Ford will prioritize customer order trucks to receive the limited number of modules they can make and the trucks sent to wait to be completed will be general build or dealer orders??

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They are. Every single day I see people's XLT's and Lariats fly off the shelves at Ford, who's shipping them like nobody's business, while my fully loaded, $85k (CND) Platinum has been sitting in their yard for 24 days now "awaiting shipment" (read: incomplete truck which won't ship anytime soon).

jfdube999 said:

They are. Every single day I see people's XLT's and Lariats fly off the shelves at Ford, who's shipping them like nobody's business, while my fully loaded, $85k (CND) Platinum has been sitting in their yard for 24 days now "awaiting shipment" (read: incomplete truck which won't ship anytime soon).

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My Fully Loaded XLT has been sitting in their yard for a few weeks now and hasn't shipped either. Over 3 months to get built and now stuck in limbo sitting on Ramp59 in Dearbourne with no transit time or ship date yet.

Begining to wonder if mine was built without some modules and is now sitting collecting some rust on the undercarriage.

Would have been nice if Ford could have identified which production weeks at which plants were impacted, at least then we might have an idea on which trucks may be delayed and which wont. Wishful thinking for them to be that transparent.

Gman73 said:

My Fully Loaded XLT has been sitting in their yard for a few weeks now and hasn't shipped either. Over 3 months to get built and now stuck in limbo sitting on Ramp59 in Dearbourne with no transit time or ship date yet.

Begining to wonder if mine was built without some modules and is now sitting collecting some rust on the undercarriage.

Would have been nice if Ford could have identified which production weeks at which plants were impacted, at least then we might have an idea on which trucks may be delayed and which wont. Wishful thinking for them to be that transparent.

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I am curious which chip (and which option it relates to) are in shortage?

Rich1982 said:

I am curious which chip (and which option it relates to) are in shortage?

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If you read the original post, it says that they're related to basic vehicle functions such as windshield wipers and infotainment.