The Ford Bronco has been a critical smash and a runaway sales success, even if delivering the vehicles has been challenging. The company now says it has sold nearly every Bronco it can build for the 2022 model year. Dealers will stop taking orders for new Broncos on March 8.
The order books will reopen “later this year,” the company says, for the 2023 model year.
The news, however, affects a limited number of buyers. You couldn’t walk into a Ford dealership and drive out in a Bronco before the announcement.
Ford sells the Bronco through a reservation system. Buyers must first purchase a refundable reservation, then later order their finished Bronco. The company has sold more reservations than it can fill this year.
Pausing orders means some reservation-holders must wait and order a 2023 model later.
Sales Success, Production Headaches
The Bronco is the 2022 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. An off-road rival for the Jeep Wrangler, it combines retro design cues with modern technology. The Bronco takes obvious inspiration from the legendary Broncos of the 1960s and 70s but uses a modern terrain management system and 360-degree cameras to make it an even more effective rock crawler.
But Ford has been beset by production headaches trying to meet demand for the vehicle. The company planned three roof choices for the Bronco. But supplier problems forced Ford to delay a painted metal hardtop roof until 2023 at the earliest.
Customers who ordered a second hardtop option – a molded-in-color plastic roof – then found that it became discolored when exposed to rain or high humidity. Ford solved that problem, but production slowed as the company replaced thousands of plastic roofs already shipped to customers.
How to Get Your Reservation Filled Faster
Buyers who already hold a reservation and plan to order before the deadline can take a few steps to speed their Bronco to their driveway.
A user in the Bronco6G forum posted a memo Ford sent to dealers, which notes a few insider tricks:
- 62% of buyers so far have ordered the trailering package. Buyers will get their Bronco faster if they skip that package. Dealers can install a tow hitch at the dealership, though Ford notes that “if customers require a 7-pin connection for their trailering needs,” only the factory option will do.
- Soft top orders are more likely to be filled in 2022.
