Some 2021 Ford Bronco First Edition Buyers Aren’t Getting Their SUVs. Who’s To Blame?

It’s almost exactly a year to the day since the configurator for the new Ford Bronco went live. Some of us just played around, creating our dream cars online, while many of you went further, placed real orders then waited patiently for delivery. But it looks like some Bronco buyers might not get their Broncos at all.

Writing on the Bronco6G forum, one Bronco buyer says he was informed by his dealer that he’d have to change his order for a First Edition Bronco to an alternative trim level by 1700 EST on October 7 or the entire order would be cancelled.

Ford Dealer Explains The Situation

In an email to the forum poster’s dealership in Tampa, Florida, regarding his order, Ford explained that it was about to begin the process of converting 21MY Bronco orders to 22MY orders. Ford warned that “because we will not have a First Edition for the 22MY, those orders are not able to be converted and without action would be lost.”

The email went on to recommend that unfulfilled orders be converted to Badlands Broncos, but conceded that “any buildable order” will work. At the bottom of the email in menacing bold type Ford spelled out the perils of not taking action: “If dealers fail to convert the orders, the orders will be cancelled and the Timestamp will be lost.”

Related: Ford Bronco Damaged During Transport, Owner Wants A New One In Three Weeks

Remaining First Edition Ford Bronco Orders Will Be Canceled If Not Changed to Non-FE Trim https://t.co/yr7weA6yCs pic.twitter.com/g3lmqGG7LN

— Bronco6G (@Bronco6G) October 7, 2021

The poster explained that the dealer had not received two First Edition Broncos, including his own. He was, to put it mildly, disappointed by the news, particularly since he claims to have been in regular contact with the unnamed dealership, and spoke to a staff member only two weeks previously, who gave no indication that there was a problem with the order.

So Why Didn’t He Get The Car?

Did Ford take on more orders for the 2021 Bronco First Edition than it could build? Ford initially planned to build 3,500 First Editions but bumped that 7,000 in the face of unprecedented demand. We’ve asked Ford to clarify its position and are waiting to hear back. Or, as many commenters on the post have suggested, did the dealer make a mistake that led to the orders not being fulfilled?

The email form Ford explains that the undelivered First Edition orders were not scheduled for one of three reasons. One possibility is that a “99 Priority Code” was applied to the order, which is effectively an instruction not proceed with the build. Ford says this can happen if the customer wanted to wait for a 22MY car, although that seems unlikely in the case of anyone ordering a First Edition given its unavailability after 2021.

Another reason is that the order might not have had a timestamp, most likely down to a dealer error in the ordering process, while a third possibility is that the order could not be built because of a “Compatibility Error” such as a request for the black-painted roof Ford was forced to withdraw due to supply issues. That final error should have been picked up by the dealer, however.

Related: Ford Officially Announces The Bronco Raptor, Says It Will Be Available In 2022

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He’s Not The Only One Not Getting The Bronco First Edition

Sadly, it sounds like this forum poster isn’t the only disappointed Bronco buyer. At least two other Bronco6G forum members says they were also told they wouldn’t be getting the First Edition models they ordered more than six months ago.

One discovered that his order was indeed given a 99 “don’t build” code when he switched to the moulded-in-color (MIC) top after the painted roof was made unavailable, but says he had no way of knowing the significance of the code. Most other users on the Bronco6G forum seem to believe that dealer error is the culprit in the cases of unfulfilled First Edition orders.

You might have doubts about putting too much store in forum opinions except for the fact that one of those opinions belongs to a commenter in San Diego who claims to order Broncos on behalf of a Ford dealership.

“I think the only way anyone lost their FE order is if the dealer had it in ’99’ status in the order bank, which signals to Ford that the customer doesn’t want the order to convert,” wrote EricAtKearnyMesaFord.

“It was probably a mistake on the dealer’s part, like they maybe didn’t change your priority back from 99 after the Shadow Black Mod roof issue early this year. Either way I’m pretty sure this is on the dealer, not Ford.”

Are you waiting for a Ford Bronco delivery? How would you rate your buying experience?