Ford to ship and sell Explorer SUV with missing chips

According to a report in Automotive News, Ford will soon begin selling and shipping some Ford Explorers without the chips that power rear air conditioning and heating controls. Instead the automaker will ship the missing semiconductors to dealers within a year, which they will then install on customers' vehicles after purchase.

Ford spokesman Saeed Deep told The Verge that heating and air condition could still be controlled from the front seats, and that customers who want to buy a vehicle without rear controls will get a price reduction. According to Deep, Ford is doing this to make the new Explorers reach customers faster, and the change is only temporary.

The automaker originally had plans to ship partially built, unusable vehicles to dealers last year, but now, unpowered vehicles will be both driveable and marketable. As reported by Automotive News, Ford's decision comes as part of an effort to move the majority of its factory-built vehicles to crowdfunding. Last month, hundreds of new Ford Broncos were seen sitting idle in snow-covered lots near Ford's Michigan assembly plant, all waiting for chip-related installations.

Like many other companies, Ford is grappling with obstacles introduced by chip shortages. After a shortage of semiconductors forced Ford to reduce production of its popular F-150 last year (and once again earlier this month), it began giving customers the option to buy the pickup without the automatic start-stop. done. Off, the feature that shuts off the vehicle's engine when it is completely shut down. Ford gave the affected owners a $50 credit in return.

Other automakers have also had to make sacrifices over the lack of a chip, in which GM omits wireless charging, HD radio and a fuel management module that allows some pickup trucks to operate more efficiently. Meanwhile, Tesla sold some cars without USB ports and made them installable at a later date. Luxury cars have also not been exempt from the shortage, as Cadillac nixed the hands-free driving feature in its 2022 Escalade, while BMW began shipping some cars without touchscreens.