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Thousands of Ford Broncos Pile Up at Ice Mountain, the Reason Is Too Familiar

The semiconductors shortage keeps disrupting vehicle production, but Ford decided to go ahead and build the Bronco even without the precious chips. The SUVs are kept in a parking lot near the plant in Michigan until the electronic parts are available to install. Recent footage and pictures show thousands of Ford Broncos covered in snow at Ice Mountain near Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant.
Thousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice Mountain 16 photos
Photo: KenStevens5150 via Youtube
Thousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice MountainThousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice Mountain
Some of them have been parked there for months already, and their would-be owners are already afraid they will be ruined by the bad weather. Some people joke saying their Bronco will need historic plates by the time they arrive. Despite the jokes, people lose their patience, especially as the communication with Ford is patchy. Some owners complained that they could not get in touch with Ford or that shrugs were the only answer they got.

On the bronco6g forum, there are several topics regarding the Broncos piling up on the parking lots near the factory. Videos show thousands of SUVs covered in snow, while sometimes workers from the factory approach and install stuff under the hood or into the cabin. These are the lucky examples that got their “finishing touches” or the missing electronic components and would now be cleared to get to the dealerships.

The parking lots at Ice Mountain (or Dirt Mountain, as it is called in the summer) are increasingly becoming a barometer of Ford production glitches. The lots were full of Broncos last summer when the roof problems caused delays. Then they started to clear up later in the year as Ford started to fix the issues. Now the SUVs are filling up the lots even faster due to the chip shortage.

Ford confirmed in a statement the vehicles stored at Ice Mountain await missing electronic components and that the “few thousand” Broncos affected should get out to customers within three months.

Thousands of Ford Broncos pile up at Ice Mountain
Photo: KenStevens5150 via Youtube
The global semiconductor shortage continues to affect Ford’s North American plants – along with automakers and other industries around the world,” Ford spokesman Said Deep said in an email to Automotive News. “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.

Customers are not happy about their cars sitting in parking lots for months, at the mercy of the elements, but dealers’ representatives believe the strategy is clever. Tim Hovik, Ford’s dealer council chairman, thinks it's more efficient to build the vehicles without the electronics and install them later than not building them at all.

Ford’s allocation strategy for the Bronco is not always transparent, and this frustrates the customers even more than the long delays caused by the chip shortages and the supply issues. Tyler Schanzmeyer confessed to Automotive News he ordered his 2021 Ford Bronco Badlands in July 2020. His vehicle was built in January this year and it is parked at Ice Mountain ever since. In the meantime, other customers report getting their Bronco only months after placing the order.

The chip shortage is here to cause disruption for a long time if it is to believe industry insiders. Ford is not the only carmaker that is affected but is one that was hit the hardest. The Bronco is probably the hottest vehicle model in the U.S. market right now. This explains why the waiting times are so long, and why people sell it almost as soon as they get it from the dealer. A recent study showed the Ford Bronco is one of the fastest-selling used cars in the U.S. The average selling price is also way above the MSRP.

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About the author: Cristian Agatie
Cristian Agatie profile photo

After his childhood dream of becoming a "tractor operator" didn't pan out, Cristian turned to journalism, first in print and later moving to online media. His top interests are electric vehicles and new energy solutions.
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