Ford Motor Co. is facing “manufacturing issues” causing a significant disruption in the company’s delivery of the 2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviators to dealers.
According to reports, the Blue Oval is shipping thousands of 2020 Explorers and Aviators from its factory in Chicago to its Flat Rock assembly in Detroit while factory workers are working to pinpoint a series of problems in the highly anticipated SUVs.
Several Ford dealers across the United States confirm that they have been notified by the automaker of possible delays in delivery due to undisclosed “manufacturing issues.” One dealership also says they have had to “pacify” customers who are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their preordered vehicles.
The 2020 Ford Explorer is offered at a starting price of $36,675 and goes as high as $58,250 while the Lincoln Aviator starts at $51,100.
But it looks like dealers and customers can do nothing but wait as Ford remains mum about what’s causing the problems.
“The process has been a little slow this time,” Jim Seavitt, president and owner of Village Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, said. “I know one thing, we’re happy they’re not giving them to us until they can make sure they can get things right. They’re not telling us what they’re working on. But not having customers come back into the store to get repairs is very important to us. We want to make sure the quality is right before we get the vehicle,” he added.
Some of the vehicles Ford has managed to roll out of the assembly and delivered to dealer lots were also reportedly recalled.
According to the Free Press, the issue at the factory has been ongoing for two months and it continues to alarm workers who can’t identify what’s wrong.
But an unnamed source at Ford’s plant who claims to be involved in Explorer repairs shared that delays are caused by chassis and transmission issues with the Explorer, suspension glitches with the Aviator, and problems with the air-conditioning systems of both models.
The company has not released an official statement, but a worker at the Michigan plant says “the teams doing the fixing are working nonstop, 24/7,” so it might just be a short while until the Explorers
and Aviators arrive at dealerships.
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