Ford to ship and sell incomplete vehicles with missing chips

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

According to a report from automotive news, Ford will soon start selling and shipping incomplete, but driveable vehicles that don't have the chips that power certain safety features. The automaker will ship the chips to the dealers in one year, which will allow them to install them in customers' vehicles after purchase.

There is no information on the affected vehicle models or features. The partially-built, undrivable vehicles will be both driveable and sellable now that Ford has changed its plans.

Ford's decision comes as an attempt to move the partially-built vehicles crowding its factory lots. Hundreds of new Ford Broncos were spotted sitting in the snow near the Michigan Assembly Plant, all of which await chip-related installations.

The constraints introduced by the chip shortage have been a problem for Ford. Last year, a lack of semiconductors forced Ford to scale back production of its popular F-150, and in November, Ford and General GM announced a deal with chip manufacturer GlobalFoundries to help ease the shortage.

GM dropped wireless charging, HD radios, and a fuel management module in some pickup trucks due to the chip shortage. Some of the cars that were sold by the company were installable at a later date. The luxury cars have not been spared from the shortage either, as Cadillac nixed its hands-free driving feature in its 2022.

The Verge reached out to Ford but didn't hear back.