Ford to ship and sell incomplete vehicles with missing chips

Ford will soon start selling and shipping incomplete, but driveable vehicles that come without the chips that power certain non-safety features, according to a report from Automotive News. The automaker will instead ship the semiconductors to dealers within one year, which they will then install in customers’ vehicles after purchase.

There still isn’t any information on the affected vehicle models or features. Ford originally had plans to ship partially-built, undrivable vehicles to dealers last year, but now, the unchipped vehicles will be both driveable and sellable.

As pointed out by Automotive News, Ford’s decision comes as an attempt to move the partially-built vehicles crowding its factory lots. Last month, hundreds of new Ford Broncos were spotted sitting idly in the snow-covered lots near Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant, all of which await chip-related installations.

Like many other companies, Ford has been grappling with the constraints introduced by the chip shortage. Last year, a lack of semiconductors forced Ford to scale back production of its popular F-150, and in November, Ford and General Motors announced a deal with chip manufacturer GlobalFoundries to help ease the shortage.

Other automakers have also had to make sacrifices due to the chip shortage, with GM dropping wireless charging, HD radios, and a fuel management module that made some pickup trucks operate more efficiently. Meanwhile, Tesla sold some cars without USB ports and made them installable at a later date. Luxury cars haven’t been exempt from the shortage either, as Cadillac nixed its hands-free driving feature in its 2022 Escalade, while BMW began shipping some cars without touchscreens.

The Verge reached out to Ford with a request for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.