Where is My Order FAQ
To better communicate with our guests we put together a web page document to try and communicate and share information about new Ford retail orders at Jack Schmitt Ford.
It is no secret that car buying is changing. The pandemic and the microchip shortage have brought about unprecedented changes in the automotive industry and changed the way that customers search for and purchase vehicles.
Jack Schmitt Ford has been at the forefront of this. We were an early adapter to online purchasing and creating a retail order process and pricing matrix in our showroom and online that are easy for customers to understand and for our sales team to guide our customers through.
So now you have ordered your vehicle and you wait. This is the frustrating part for so many reasons, but there is good news! Currently nationwide about 1 out of 3 new vehicles that get delivered to consumers are the result of a retail order. As of March 22, that number is about 2 out of 3 at Jack Schmitt Ford. By doing the right thing months ago, Jack Schmitt Ford has developed a strong pipeline on retail orders and many consumers who ordered their vehicles months ago are now receiving their vehicles.
But along the way we receive lots of questions. As the months go on, we have more and more people who are in the pipeline waiting for their vehicles. We also continue to earn more allocations for retail orders from Ford Motor Company because they have committed to building retail orders as a priority over any inventory to sit on dealers lots.
This page contains answers to the most commonly asked questions about Ford retail orders. Our team is here to help with retail orders, but we often get inundated with requests for updates and questions like these and we are still often occupied with customers in the showroom.
So here are some of the most critical topics and frequently asked questions:
1. Q: How Long Will it Take For My Vehicle To Come In?
A: This is highly complex and not a one size fits all answer. There are some models that are taking routinely as little as two months and some vehicles that are back logged for what will likely be years. There is no "fast track" or way to speed up the delivery of your vehicle other than sometimes to eliminate content. An example of this would be a feature or piece of equipment that are holding up production of the vehicle. Sometimes Ford has all of the content they need to produce a vehicle except for one or two features. We have seen instances where eliminating certain options speeds up the process. One of the most recent was on Super Duty trucks. We were advised that Ford ran out of 5th wheel packages for the trucks and that as a result trucks with a 5th wheel package on the standing order would not be produced. We notified our customers with Super Duty orders and a couple made changes that got them bumped ahead in production. This is rare but it has happened. Conversely, our General Manager ordered a Ford Bronco on release day July 14 of 2020. Almost 2 years later his vehicle still has not arrived. We share this story because we feel that it tells the truth about retail orders. There is no secret play to getting your vehicle faster. Even the General Manager of the dealership has to wait for 2 years!
2. Q: Where can I get an update on where my vehicle is at in the process?
A: We know that there are many online forums and Facebook groups that suggest that dealers have a "secret source" for getting deeper information on where the vehicle is at in the build process. We don't. Ford created a consumer portal recently that gives the order holder the same information that the dealership has. You need your order number/ VIN number to review. If you do not yet have a VIN number, then unfortunately there isn't much to report. If you have that information, jump to the end of this article for more.
3. Q: Which vehicle lines have the shortest wait times?
Again there is no short answer to this that applies 100% of the time, but in general we are seeing shorter (3 month-ish) turnaround times on Escape, Edge, Explorer, Expedition, F-150, Mustang, and Bronco Sport. Recently Rangers started to take a little longer (4-5 months).
4. Q: Which vehicle lines have the longest wait times?
This is pretty clear to us at this point. Most Super Duty trucks going forward are going to be over the 8 month mark and some will take as long as 2 years. Transit and Transit Connect Vans- not much hope of getting one in less than a year. Bronco- 1 to 2 years.
5. Q: What about my Ford Lightning Reservation?
We think the easiest thing to do here is to put this in a realistic perspective for order holders. Ford has taken over 200,000 reservations for lighting at the time we are writing this and they expect to produce around 15,000 units within the next year. We are encouraging reservation holders to keep their order. Due to commodity constraints some might be pleasantly surprised that their order gets pulled in the early going. Even if your truck does not get built within the next year or more, when it arrives you are going to have a vehicle that is highly valuable even if you decide not to keep it.
6. Q: What about Ford Mavericks?
Maverick has a large backlog of orders. Many of the 2023 orders were pushed to 2024, but Ford is ramping up production here and we expect to be able to deliver on retail orders for all 2023 and 2024 order holders.
7. Q. When will you have one to drive?
This situation is improving. We usually have inventory on the low supply models like Lightning, Bronco, Bronco Sport and even Mach-E. We have also had a Maverick around here or there, but always call ahead. Some of the vehicles you see on our lot may be retail orders for customers and for obvious reasons we do not allow customers to test drive those units.
8. Q. Is there a guarantee of when I will receive my vehicle?
A: Unfortunately, no. We cannot promise or guarantee any timeline. We can share information on what timelines have been like recently, but we cannot promise a delivery time. Vehicle production with all manufacturers right now is highly unpredictable and it's important to understand that going in. We don't have any control over the manufacturing process as a dealership. We have little vision into the progress of vehicles until they are complete and ready to ship. We don't have control over the freight and shipping. We are only able to place the initial order and facilitate the final delivery and financing of the vehicle.
9. Q. 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". 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.
10. Q. 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. 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!
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.
To check your current order status follow this link:https://shop.ford.com/vehicleordertracking# or call 800-392-3673 (Ford U.S.)
