✅ 4/18 Lightning Build Week Group

[Griddlez]

Sometimes knowing more than what the tracker says can be even more frustrating than knowing nothing at all.

For example, my truck shows as shipped but that VVR says my truck is on Ramp #59 on a non existent RailCar. Meanwhile, everyone is able to track their trucks progress and I am in the dark about why my truck hasn’t left Dearborn but I have a shipped email with a delivery window.

Anyways, if you want to know the latest on you VVR, bypass your dealer and just go on Ford Chat, they will tell you what the latest update is on your VVR.

That's crazy about your tracking info.. I hope it clears up soon!

Yea I have tried to go to ford chat and they just quote what the tracker says. I ask for a VVR and they say talk to my dealer. I get even more direct about it, they still say.. go talk to my dealer. Worth noting, this dealer really wanted me to place the order in store and not online (not sure why) - I did that because I was being nice. I regret that now because I wonder if that is why ford chat won't give me more info?

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[F150ROD]

That's crazy about your tracking info.. I hope it clears up soon!

Yea I have tried to go to ford chat and they just quote what the tracker says. I ask for a VVR and they say talk to my dealer. I get even more direct about it, they still say.. go talk to my dealer. Worth noting, this dealer really wanted me to place the order in store and not online (not sure why) - I did that because I was being nice. I regret that now because I wonder if that is why ford chat won't give me more info?

With Ford Chat, just ask for the location or status of your order and they will repeat whatever the latest on the VVR says. If you get too specific then they will tell you to talk to your dealer.

 

[Griddlez]

With Ford Chat, just ask for the location or status of your order and they will repeat whatever the latest on the VVR says. If you get too specific then they will tell you to talk to your dealer.

Thanks for the advice - I'll give it a shot tomorrow.

 

[RDeFran]

Finally a change!

 

[robert5090]

Tell me if I should be pissed that my dealer takes this stance.. or if I should just chill.

I have asked my dealer for a VVR a few times and they act like they don't know what it is. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I recently noticed my dealer has this "where is my order FAQ" on their site and they basically explain their stance on talking to customers about their orders. I've got to say I'm extremally disappointed but I sure did find out why I get ignored when I ask for more info! It's lengthy and reads (see text in highlights in particular):

" Can I call the dealership for updates? A; We are always happy to hear from our customers! But the reason we are building this page is because it summarizes most of the possibilities. We get calls asking what rail car the vehicle is on, what time it will arrive at the dealership, etc. and unfortunately we do not have the bandwidth as a business to track all of those granular details on the hundreds of vehicles we deliver (all I can say is.. REALLY??). Our response is likely going to sound a lot like what you are reading here and sometimes we just don’t have answers. Even all of the tracking mechanisms that are in place we have found to be inaccurate at times. Vehicles have shown up very early before it was even marked as “shipped” and we have seen things that appear to be in freight that never left the factory like our GM’s Bronco. Please keep in mind, we want your new vehicle to get here, too!

What step in the build process am I in? What is the hold up? A. Again, as a dealership our line of site over the production process is limited. We understand that people want to know where their vehicles are at, but we do not have access to such granular information about what goes on with assembly. If there is a hold up or a delay, Ford does not often share any more specifics with us other than “production hold” (that little bit more of info would be GREAT actually). It can mean something as simple as that they are waiting on a part that will take a couple of days or something significant like waiting on a part that will not replenish for several months. We pass along explanations to our clients as we receive them, but unfortunately calling us to check will not usually yield new information.

In conclusion, we understand that some of our clients always order their vehicles but for many it is the first time. Once you have made a decision about what kind of vehicle you would like to own, you’d like to have it as soon as you can. We would like that, too! We also understand that we are your connection to the vehicle and ordering process and our team is always happy to hear from you. But we ask that you please be patient with all of us. We ultimately deliver the vehicles, but we do not build or ship them here at the dealership. During that space where they leave the factory but have not yet arrived here, we have very little visibility. We also know that the people who handle the production and processing of Ford vehicles are the very best and brightest in the world, but they are up against some new obstacles right now.

If you have further questions or concerns about your retail order that are not answered above or would like to ask a question about ordering, we invite you to fill out the contact form below (in other words don't call us, we'll call you)."

Unfortunately they are not lying. Sometimes VVR is useless. And Ford admits it.
My Lightning said Ramp 59, then went to "Delay Plant Hold" - that's it absolutely nothing else. Here is the dealer reps response, she even tells us VVR is.... useless.
We get so many calls about where my vehicle is but can't give a straight answer unfortunately.
We have a Bronco that's "Produced" since January, still at plant, no update.

 

[vandy1981]

Unfortunately they are not lying. Sometimes VVR is useless. And Ford admits it.
My Lightning said Ramp 59, then went to "Delay Plant Hold" - that's it absolutely nothing else. Here is the dealer reps response, she even tells us VVR is.... useless.
We get so many calls about where my vehicle is but can't give a straight answer unfortunately.
We have a Bronco that's "Produced" since January, still at plant, no update.

Someone needs to explain to me why Amazon can track a 12 ounce box of crackers across multiple carriers and time zones while Ford can't track a 3-ton truck being shipped to the next state.

 

[GDN]

Someone needs to explain to me why Amazon can track a 12 ounce box of crackers across multiple carriers and time zones while Ford can't track a 3-ton truck being shipped to the next state.

They can and do, at least I believe they do - they just don't care to share with us. They would have to have details on each truck I believe. Or maybe they don't and that is why early builds get stuck in purgatory, because they truly don't know where they were parked and they just ship them as they find them.

 

[F150ROD]

They can and do, at least I believe they do - they just don't care to share with us. They would have to have details on each truck I believe. Or maybe they don't and that is why early builds get stuck in purgatory, because they truly don't know where they were parked and they just ship them as they find them.

The big confusion for me is having a shipped status with delivery window but still being stuck in Dearborn with not update since May 30th. It automatically leads me to believe the Truck broke during movement to the RailCar. Although the Railcar# doesn’t even exist, so it could be the Railcar is also broken and the Truck is now just stuck there.

But the VVR says nothing, just Ramp 59 with a RailCar#

 

[GDN]

The big confusion for me is having a shipped status with delivery window but still being stuck in Dearborn with not update since May 30th. It automatically leads me to believe the Truck broke during movement to the RailCar. Although the Railcar# doesn’t even exist, so it could be the Railcar is also broken and the Truck is now just stuck there.

But the VVR says nothing, just Ramp 59 with a RailCar#

I agree, doesn't make sense, but don't you think someone in logistics truly knows the real status and knows exactly where it is? Or do you think they truly just get lost in the shuffle and no one knows?

 

[F150ROD]

I agree, doesn't make sense, but don't you think someone in logistics truly knows the real status and knows exactly where it is? Or do you think they truly just get lost in the shuffle and no one knows?

I think they get lost, there have been too many that have received their trucks without updates. Either that or along the way they are not being scanned.

 

[RainorshinePNW]

Thanks for the advice - I'll give it a shot tomorrow.

Whereas I can understand them feeling like they're caught between a rock and a hard place, and the overall tone is a little cheeky, they could have left out that last little jab. More importantly, it's clear the lack of communication from Ford is a HUGE problem relative to market expectations, as they're experiencing. Would be great if their little explainer included something along the lines of "we're continuously sharing with Ford corporate the frustration our customers experience due to lack of communication and encourage them to make the appropriate investments in systems/technology to improve the flow of information"

 

[rlbussard]

The Ford tracking is just severely broke. I wouldn't put any money on it being even a little bit accurate at this point. I just finished today's updates and only 3 trucks received a production date today and those ran down the line on 5/26 and 5/27. We all know it doesn't take 2 weeks to produce, it is only 2-3 days at most to get down the line.

Another point, my truck is sitting in the railyard still, but the tracker went back to In Production for it. The people that do the updating should all be fired. It is just a dismal setup Ford has for tracking your vehicle. You would think that in 2022 it would be a lot easier to track than what they actually show.

 

[Griddlez]

I tried chat again today -- this is the outcome:

/shrug

 

[rlbussard]

I tried chat again today -- this is the outcome:

/shrug

Dang, I just read another article a few minutes ago that said the same thing. I thought Farley started that the Lightning wouldn't be subject to the chip hold. I also read that Platinum Lightnings are now also being held up for the contour seating shortage.

https://fordauthority.com/2022/06/2022-ford-f-150-lightning-trucks-fill-up-michigan-parking-lot/

 

[vandy1981]

Dang, I just read another article a few minutes ago that said the same thing. I thought Farley started that the Lightning wouldn't be subject to the chip hold. I also read that Platinum Lightnings are now also being held up for the contour seating shortage.

https://fordauthority.com/2022/06/2022-ford-f-150-lightning-trucks-fill-up-michigan-parking-lot/

They added a multi contour seat delete option for the lightning platinum last month so I'm not surprised.

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