How long are you willing to wait for a vehicle you want when there are waiting lists and then a combination of circumstances means that its delivery keeps getting delayed?
That's the question that must be on the minds of hundreds, if not thousands, of people who have ordered a Ford Bronco. After throwing their names in the hat and making a reservation before the first models were even produced, buyers had to wait their turn. And that wait has been repeatedly prolonged due not only to demand but to imponderable factors such as the microchip shortage.
A report by Automotive News regarding the never-ending waits for the Bronco SUV includes the story of one future owner, Tyler Schanzmeyer, who has had his delivery date pushed back five times. After ordering one just over two months ago, Schanzmeyer was initially promised the vehicle in April. In fact, the vehicle has been built, but it is currently sitting covered in snow on a storage lot, dubbed Dirt Mountain, as it awaits some missing components.
As you can imagine, the itchy buyer is not only impatient to drive his Bronco, he’s also worried about the vehicle sitting exposed to the elements. “Its value goes down before I even take delivery of it,” he lamented to Automotive News.
Ironically, Dirt Mountain was also where a bunch of Broncos ended up last summer as Ford dealt with problems related to the roof. Which, of course, delayed deliveries of early models.
Ford has confirmed that the current delays have to do with the shortage of electronic chips. The automaker says it hopes to deliver the few thousand units currently sitting at Dirt Mountain over the next three months.
"The global semiconductor shortage continues to affect Ford's North American plants - along with automakers and other industries around the world. Behind the scenes, our teams have been working on how to maximize production, with a continued commitment to building every high-demand vehicle for our customers with the quality they expect. Our goal is to have all updated in the next 90 days, pending chip availability," said Said Deep, a Ford spokesman, via an email to Automotive News.
The situation does not affect only Ford, it should be remembered. However, in the case of the Bronco, it looks like the jinx is getting to the model. If there's one thing Ford doesn't need, it's this.