Ford had an incredible 2021 despite the chip shortage and has started off 2022 with a bang but that momentum isn’t holding up. It turns out that production lines for some of its most popular vehicles are being paused or slowed in response to a lack of semiconductor chips to go in these automobiles. In total, four different production facilities working on at least eight different vehicles will be affected.
That includes the Cuautitlan Stamping and Assembly plant in Mexico which builds the massively popular all-electric Mustang Mach-E. Ford had said earlier this year that demand was huge for the Mach-E and that they would be actively working to increase production output so this must be a disappointing setback both for the brand and for customers. Sadly, it’s not the only popular nameplate to be affected.
F-150 And Bronco Affected Too
Dearborn Truck is responsible for the F-150 pickup and it will be reducing production to a single shift for some time. Other vehicles affected include the red-hot Bronco, the Ranger, and the Explorer. According to the forecasting firm AutoForecast Solutions, Ford has already lost more than 48,000 units of planned production in North America this year.
Read Also: Chevrolet Drops Rear Park Assist On 2022 Corvette Due To Chip Shortage
“The global semiconductor shortage continues to affect Ford’s North American plants — along with automakers and other industries around the world,” spokesperson Kelli Felker said in a statement to The Detroit News. “Behind the scenes, we have teams working on how to maximize production, with a continued commitment to building every high-demand vehicle for our customers with the quality they expect.”
That’s a bit of a shift from the approach that General Motors has taken with regard to the shortage. Multiple GM products from Buick, Cadillac, and Chevrolet are still being produced but they’ll ship to customers without features like heated seats, ventilated seats, and heated steering wheels.
For now, there’s no official word on how long the pauses or slowdowns in production will last. Are you waiting on a new Ford product that’s been affected? Which approach would you prefer Ford take? Do you mind them pausing to make sure each vehicle has every feature originally intended or would you prefer your vehicle to arrive sooner even if it has to be missing something non-essential?
