Ford will supply new Explorer SUVs to the U.S. minus the semiconductor chips needed to run the rear-facing climate control system, a spokesman told TheDetroitBureau.com.
The report says the persistent shortage of semiconductor chips has cost Ford hundreds of thousands of cars and cars, leaving dealers with nearly empty showrooms, and customers have sometimes waited for months to deliver new cars.
The chips needed to operate the rear seat control systems were in short supply, said spokesman Saeed Deep TheDetroitBureau.comso instead of waiting for fresh deliveries, it would disable this feature, “to deliver Explorer to customers faster.”
Deep said the rear climate control could still be controlled from the front controls, and the missing chip could be upgraded later. “If the item arrives, we will install it for free for you,” he added.
The report says Ford planned to offer customers affected by the plan a loan at their purchase price, even if they install the missing chip later.
The affected models were already in production and will begin shipping to U.S. dealers next week, a spokesman said.
TheDetroitBureau.com said it was the second time Ford had set up production to deal with the semiconductor shortage by removing the car’s features. Late last year, he offered F-150 customers the opportunity to expedite delivery if they agree to remove the stop / start feature. In this case, however, Ford did not offer to install the feature later, but buyers who accepted the plan received a loan of $ 50.
The report adds that General Motors briefly eliminated the seat heating feature on some cars to circumvent the chip shortage, while some Cadillac Escalade SUVs came without the Super Cruise speakerphone feature. Nissan has removed the navigation feature on some models, and BMW has also reduced the functionality of some of its infotainment systems, in some cases disabling the AutoPark feature.
Industry data showed that U.S. retailers had nearly a million new cars, which is less than a third of the usual at this time of year. TheDetroitBureau.com added.
