Question answered: It takes SEVEN MONTHS to build a Ranger!

[westopher]

Imagine my surprise that after waiting since May 2023 for my new Ranger, I finally received an email that it's been built — after Ford started that process on January 8th of this year. So apparently the great mystery has been solved: While so many others have gotten their trucks in record time, "mine" took nearly SEVEN MONTHS to to get from the beginning of the assembly line to the point where Ford finally was toying with the idea of shipping it out. Too bad I won't be accepting it when it arrives...

I already gave-up on this one, and found a different one at another dealership three months ago — which, while I love the truck, meant that I forfeited the $1,000 rebate to which I was originally entitled.

Yes, in the end, I still ended-up buying a Ranger. So, Ford wins regardless... Despite the complete lack of communication, explanation, or apology from them, or my dealership, for whatever caused this inexcusable delay. And yeah, even with a terrific truck now in my garage, I'm still pissed-off at Ford (and my original dealer), and I still wonder if returning to the Ford brand after 25 years away was a mistake. Time will tell.

If anyone in the Denver area wants a 2024 Ranger that's been sitting out in the weather in a parking lot in Dearborn for the past six months, it'll be showing-up at the dealership soon.

Sponsored

 

[fordtrks4ever]

Yes I know exactly what you mean
I have ordered my Fords for years this was my 6th and have never experienced anything close to the fiasco this was. Gave up on 5/31/2024 and also lost the rebate. It will be at Redhill Ford in Pa. shortly.

 

[Wayfaring Ranger]

My jan 18 "in production" truck just got "built" and landed on the dealer lot last week, too.

i flew 800 miles to buy a matching truck in april, i feel bad for whoever ends up buying my original truck which sat in michigan weather for 7 months.

 

[westopher]

Yes I know exactly what you mean
I have ordered my Fords for years this was my 6th and have never experienced anything close to the fiasco this was. Gave up on 5/31/2024 and also lost the rebate. It will be at Redhill Ford in Pa. shortly.

What I fail to understand is why Ford continues to be completely closed-mouthed about any of this. Their social team monitors these forums and social media more broadly, but says nothing. Call the Ford customer service team and get nothing. All anyone at Ford can seem to do is just look the other way and pretend that it's all completely normal.

It continues to chap my ass that neither Ford nor the original dealer can be bothered to apologize. I guess to apologize means to admit that something went wrong — and it's glaringly obvious that that's exactly what happened. A classic emperor's clothes story...

But I guess since me, you, and @Wayfaring Ranger all bought one anyway, it proved that if they simply ignored the problem, it truly would just go away.

 

[Chassis N2531]

I'm very familiar with this as well. I waited 7 months from ordering my GT500 to delivery. I started out waiting for my RR order but knowing I was in for a wait of least the same amount of time, I grew impatient and found an exact order dealer stock unit an hour and a half away that was MSRP available and in transit. Best move ever! Shaved months off waiting. 800 miles and a lot of smiles.

Glad it worked out for you.

 

[fordtrks4ever]

What I fail to understand is why Ford continues to be completely closed-mouthed about any of this. Their social team monitors these forums and social media more broadly, but says nothing. Call the Ford customer service team and get nothing. All anyone at Ford can seem to do is just look the other way and pretend that it's all completely normal.

It continues to chap my ass that neither Ford nor the original dealer can be bothered to apologize. I guess to apologize means to admit that something went wrong — and it's glaringly obvious that that's exactly what happened. A classic emperor's clothes story...

But I guess since me, you, and @Wayfaring Ranger all bought one anyway, it proved that if they simply ignored the problem, it truly would just go away.

Totally agree
Now they are out of 2.7 motors so those without a build date are SOL till 2025
After waiting so long to order the V6
Ford had an issue building the Bronco's now they have many still on the lots from 2023
And you can now get XPLAN pricing on the Bronco's.
Roll outs have not gone well for Ford lately.
Yes Ford did still win by getting a sale anyway but so did we.
We did get a Ranger. Which is what we wanted to begin with.

 

[Wayfaring Ranger]

But I guess since me, you, and @Wayfaring Ranger all bought one anyway, it proved that if they simply ignored the problem, it truly would just go away.

Fortunately for Ford/unfortunately for us, Ford managed to design the best option in the next-gen midsize market (in my opinion). As much as I wanted to cross-shop and as much as I did consider other options, going with a different truck just would've meant I would have regretted my choice all in an attempt to "stick it to" ford.

The only other potential option was a Tacoma but odds are I would've been waiting even longer for a spec I wanted, plus paying a much higher price for an equivalent truck.

The real "losers" here were our local dealers, who thought they were getting our money and got shafted by their parent company. I felt bad not giving them a deal but I also needed the truck.

 

[westopher]

Fortunately for Ford/unfortunately for us, Ford managed to design the best option in the next-gen midsize market (in my opinion). As much as I wanted to cross-shop and as much as I did consider other options, going with a different truck just would've meant I would have regretted my choice all in an attempt to "stick it to" ford.

Well said, and I agree with respect to the other options. Beyond all the technical bits, there's the styling too. That's very subjective, of course, and lots of people love the Toyota designs — I'm just not one of those people. As for the GM offerings, much more in-line with the Ranger, design-wise, but there are still lots of little things that put me off. So here we are.

As for the local dealers, I'm ambivalent. Part of me knows it's not their fault, and another part of me says that the dealer COULD have gotten answers out of Ford, but they simply chose not to, and also chose not to do anything beyond looking at their own inventory pipeline to find me a truck. In the end, that too was for the best; the dealer I ended-up buying from has been much more pleasant to deal with.

 

[CRNEIT0]

What I fail to understand is why Ford continues to be completely closed-mouthed about any of this. Their social team monitors these forums and social media more broadly, but says nothing. Call the Ford customer service team and get nothing. All anyone at Ford can seem to do is just look the other way and pretend that it's all completely normal.

It continues to chap my ass that neither Ford nor the original dealer can be bothered to apologize. I guess to apologize means to admit that something went wrong — and it's glaringly obvious that that's exactly what happened. A classic emperor's clothes story...

But I guess since me, you, and @Wayfaring Ranger all bought one anyway, it proved that if they simply ignored the problem, it truly would just go away.

Amazingly well written post, thank you. My in production was 2/13 and still nothing except the standard computer generated to totally piss you off reminders every 45 days telling you how hard they are working to get your truck produced. Working hard to keep production issues a secret is more like it. You won't see a response from "Official Ford" on this thread.

 

[westopher]

Amazingly well written post, thank you. My in production was 2/13 and still nothing except the standard computer generated to totally piss you off reminders every 45 days telling you how hard they are working to get your truck produced. Working hard to keep production issues a secret is more like it. You won't see a response from "Official Ford" on this thread.

Wow, mid-February? I was under the impression that there was a pile of Rangers from two weeks in January, maybe some December trucks, that were the extent of this "Ramp 59 Purgatory" problem. Interesting.

But see, that's all the more annoying. This entire time, there have been plenty of trucks to enter and exit production, and get shipped and delivered. So why did OUR specific orders get held-up for months, and allowed to sit in a friggin' parking lot? All the excuses about quality checks and whatever other B.S. are just that. My dealer told me it was probably the factory spray-in bedliner... Also B.S., as my Plan B truck has one, and was started, built, shipped, and delivered while my Plan A truck had already sitting for two months.

And yeah, no, there'll never be any acknowledgement of this stuff, let alone an explanation.

 

[westopher]

I grew impatient and found an exact order dealer stock unit an hour and a half away that was MSRP available and in transit. Best move ever! Shaved months off waiting. 800 miles and a lot of smiles.

Glad it worked out for you.

And you as well... And truly, all the grumbling aside, that's actually what matters. I actually DO love the truck, but it's bittersweet, I suppose, for all the reasons I mentioned.

 

[westopher]

Roll outs have not gone well for Ford lately.
Yes Ford did still win by getting a sale anyway but so did we.
We did get a Ranger. Which is what we wanted to begin with.

Well put, and agree.

I still believe that the real "crime" here wasn't the delays, it was the complete lack of transparency and honesty about everything. Someone has the answer as to why my original order took this long. Even though I could argue it no longer matters, I still think I'm owed that, and have been all along. But, nothing.

C'est la vie.

 

[fordtrks4ever]

Well put, and agree.

I still believe that the real "crime" here wasn't the delays, it was the complete lack of transparency and honesty about everything. Someone has the answer as to why my original order took this long. Even though I could argue it no longer matters, I still think I'm owed that, and have been all along. But, nothing.

C'est la vie.

It does make you wander what the real delays were.
If Ford would have been honest or said to us can we build you another with priority
It would have went far better.
I have been looking at local dealer stock and 1 out of 4 is a special order that is on the lot
So while the dealer sold a stock truck to us
They now must try to sell the truck that has sat 4 or 5 months in a Detroit parking lot.

 

[Dry0atmeal]

I know it's no consolation, where I work Ford rents a large lot to store Rangers and Broncos (within 5 miles of MAP) When i got to work this past Friday this lot was nearly full... come Monday nearly empty... Ford is moving product now...hopefully those delays you guys had are long in the past...

 

[CACTUSGREYFX4]

Mine took 10 months ordered in June 2023 picked up Apr 2024

Sponsored