Dirt Mountain is getting crowded.
In many ways, the Ford Bronco has exemplified the semiconductor shortage. Over the last year, there have been countless articles written covering the shortcomings of Ford’s newest offroader, many of them on this site. It’s not all Ford’s fault. Semiconductors are hard to get, as we know. And, as we know, the Bronco is an incredibly popular car, as evidenced by markups.
Still, to this day, prospective Bronco owners are left waiting for their orders much longer than they thought they would be, even with the chip shortage. In the end, there’s really only two options for these people: they either wait or abandon their order in favor of a car that might show up before their Bronco.
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Many hopeful Bronco owners know full well their car is sitting on Dirt Mountain. It’s a nickname for a holding lot outside of Ford’s Michigan assembly plant, aptly named because of the literal dirt mountain sitting in the lot. A quick browse through any of the Ford or Bronco-centric forums reveals the issue quickly: One user says their Bronco was stuck on Dirt Mountain for over 90 days while waiting for a new hardtop.
According to Automotive News, another owner of a Bronco Outer Banks has had to sit by helplessly as his SUV has been stuck at Dirt Mountain or other lots since mid-January. Initially, he was told he’d get his vehicle on May 9, but that date has since been changed to July 26. He said he had received only one email from Ford throughout this period.
Back in February, Ford said the Broncos in the Dirt Mountain lot would be freed in approximately 90 days. It’s since been more than that, and there’s still Broncos sitting in there. Still, there appears to be a more steady flow of chips headed into Dearborn. Ford says it’s shipping new SUVs out on the daily, and that the pace is set to continue that way.
That doesn’t do much for the Bronco owners stuck on Dirt Mountain. The forums are full of complaints of a lack of communication from Ford. Owners aren’t being told how long their cars are going to sit for, and it’s got owners justifiably riled.
None of this has stopped the Bronco from being a huge hit. Ford’s sales reports indicate that the brand sold 13,113 of them in April alone. And with the Bronco Raptor on the horizon, the model is set to become even more popular. What’s not to like about a 410-horsepower Bronco? Other than the wait times and markups, of course.
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