ROBERT BONNER
Full Access Members
Ford assigns VIN's once vehicles are scheduled for production out of the national blend order list. This normally occurs at the beginning of the calendar week before the week that the vehicle will be produced (started). Normally you will receive notification at that time along with a build date that will correspond to the first day of the production week that it is scheduled in. A vehicle is considered "in production" at the moment that the painted body is dropped out of trim selectivity and enters the trim system. Depending on the design of the assembly plant the rolling chassis matched to that body will begin assembly at some point in time after that with the selection of the chassis frame. Depending on the operating pattern for the plant, and the calendar it will take between 12 and 24 production hours to exit pre-delivery and exit the plant to convoy or rail and 1 day to 3 weeks to get to the dealer. However, if it dropped out of selectivity at the end of the 3rd shift before summer break, for instance, it may take more than 2 weeks to complete those production hours. There are of course exceptions (alas, far more exceptions than there used to be).
If you are given a VIN and a build date and go several weeks before the vehicle is received at the dealer, one or more of the following has occurred:
1) Your vehicle may be held at the plant for a "heavy hole" extensive repair (Usually no more than a day or two, these holds are very rare)
2) Lacking parts (This can take months. This almost never happened before it became commonplace due to COVID supply chain interruptions. My '22 F150 sat 99% complete waiting for an Instrument Panel driver module (chip) for more than 120 days)
3) Plant "hold" for a quality/regulatory escape (normally no more than a week - this is more common during new model year launch)
4) Shortage of rail cars (this can cause several weeks worth of delays - happens time to time as the auto industry enters "boom" sales cycles)
5) Awaiting haul away make-up (normally just a few days - this sometimes occurs when a car carrier cannot be put together because there aren't enough vehicles bound for the same destination)
If you are given a VIN and a build date and go several weeks before the vehicle is received at the dealer, one or more of the following has occurred:
1) Your vehicle may be held at the plant for a "heavy hole" extensive repair (Usually no more than a day or two, these holds are very rare)
2) Lacking parts (This can take months. This almost never happened before it became commonplace due to COVID supply chain interruptions. My '22 F150 sat 99% complete waiting for an Instrument Panel driver module (chip) for more than 120 days)
3) Plant "hold" for a quality/regulatory escape (normally no more than a week - this is more common during new model year launch)
4) Shortage of rail cars (this can cause several weeks worth of delays - happens time to time as the auto industry enters "boom" sales cycles)
5) Awaiting haul away make-up (normally just a few days - this sometimes occurs when a car carrier cannot be put together because there aren't enough vehicles bound for the same destination)
