Ford Ships and Sells Explorer SUVs with Missing Chips

Ford will soon begin selling and shipping some Ford Explorers without the chips that power the rear air conditioning and heating controls, according to a report from Car News. Instead, the automaker will ship the missing semiconductors to dealers within one year, and then install them in customers’ cars after purchase.

Ford spokesman Saeed Dib said the edge Heating and air conditioning will still be controlled from the front seats, and customers who choose to buy a car without the rear controls will get a price cut. According to Deep, Ford is doing this as a way to bring the new Explorer to customers faster, and that the change is only temporary.

The automaker originally had plans To ship part-manufactured, non-retail vehicles to dealers last year, but now, non-driving vehicles will be drivable And the salable as pointed out Car NewsFord’s decision comes as an attempt to move the partially built vehicles that crowd its factories. Last month, hundreds of new Ford Bronco was seen sitting idle In snow-covered lots near the Ford’s Michigan Assembly plant, all of which await chip-related installations.

Like many other companies, Ford has been grappling with the limitations imposed by a lack of chips. After the semiconductor shortage Ford forced to reduce production of the famous F-150 last year (and again in advance this month), it has begun to give customers the option to buy Capture without start-up and auto-stop, which is the feature that shuts down the car’s engine when it comes to a complete stop. Ford gave the affected owners a $50 credit in return.

Other automakers also had to make sacrifices due to the lack of chips, with General Motors declining Wireless chargingAnd the HD RadiosAnd the fuel management unit That made some pickup trucks run more efficiently. at the same time, Tesla sold some cars without USB ports and make it installable at a later time. Luxury cars were not exempt from the shortage either Cadillac has canceled the hands-free driving feature In 2022 Escalade, while BMW has started shipping some cars without touch screens.

Update March 13th 1:45pm ET: Updated to show that the affected vehicles are Ford Explorers and that they will lose the rear HVAC controls. The update was also updated to include some additional context surrounding Ford’s removal of the F-150 start-up feature due to a lack of chips and information from a Ford spokesperson.