Seatbelt problem delays 2021-22 Mustang Mach-E deliveries — and it could hit tax refund – Rochester Minnesota news, weather, sports

DETROIT — More than 1,000 customers who thought they’d get a new all-electric Ford Mustang Mach-E this year and qualify for a $7,500 tax rebate may be in for an unpleasant surprise.

Ford Motor Co. alerted its dealers to needed seatbelt repair involving certain 2021-22 model year Mach-E SUVs, triggering a hold on any undelivered new vehicles built from Oct. 5 to Nov. 18, according to a letter obtained by the Free Press.

Ford spokesperson Said Deep confirmed Monday that 2,304 Mach-E vehicles are affected by the recall. Of that number, 741 are in customer hands and 1,563 are on hold by dealers, he said.

“We can understand customer disappointment if they may have been counting on applying the credit” on their calendar year 2021 taxes, Deep told the Free Press. “However, delivering vehicles with quality continues to be a top priority.”

Customers can still apply for the federal tax credit, it just may shift to calendar year 2022 for some buyers, Deep said.

The credit is applied to the year a vehicle is delivered, not ordered.

Right now, the vehicles may have a rear seat belt that could detach and fail to restrain an occupant during a crash.

The letter, sent by David Johnson, director of service engineering operations for Ford customer service, tells the dealers there’s a new vehicle demonstration and delivery hold on both the 2022 Mach-E, and the 2022 Ford Maverick built between Oct. 6 and Oct. 20.

Deep confirmed that 318 Maverick pickups are affected by the recall. Of those, 145 have been delivered to customers already.

There are no known accidents or injuries related to this issue, Deep said Monday afternoon.

“DO NOT DEMONSTRATE OR DELIVER any new in-stock vehicles involved in this compliance recall,” the letter stated. “A complete Dealer Bulletin will be provided to dealers the week of January 3rd, 2022, when it is anticipated the parts ordering information and repair instructions will be available to support this compliance recall.”

It went on to say that dealers should open a repair order only when a full dealer bulletin is published. Opening a repair order in response to the advance notice letter sent Friday will “result in warranty rejections against the recall.”

These vehicles need a rear seatbelt anchor thread repair, the letter said.

The affected vehicles may not conform to federal crash safety requirements because, the letter said, “rear floor assemblies were produced with tapping plates that may have oversized extruded bolt holes used to attach the rear seatbelt buckles. Oversized extruded bolt holes may decrease the strength of the fastener joint causing inadequate attachment of the rear seat belts during loading.”

In this case, the compliance recall reflects the fact that a supplier produced steel plates with extruded bolt holes that were not within specification, Deep said.

Dealers cannot report these vehicles sold until the work has been completed.

If a vehicle is delivered to a buyer or lessee unrepaired, the dealer could face civil penalties of up to $21,000 per vehicle, Ford included in its letter.

Owners of these new vehicles will be notified by first-class mail after Ford has provided repair instructions and parts-ordering information to dealers.

This latest situation is another headache for buyers forced to also navigate delays caused by supply chain challenges. Dealers tell the Free Press that everyone has so many issues with so many things these days that it’s hard to keep track.

The letter sent late Friday had been the focus of concern among Ford customers over the weekend on social media, including Reddit.

On a Mach-E Reddit site with 4,800 members, comments included:

“So let me get this straight the mme (Mustang Mach-E) that is on its way to me from Kansas will not be given to me even if it is received by the dealer before the end of the year,” wrote notmygoodys.

“This is bad. Put deposit on AWD Premium at sticker in middle of nowhere 3 states away. Credit approved. Current car sold. Bought plane ticket to nearest airport for Tuesday and was going drive back. No clue what to do now. Can’t gamble I won’t get the tax savings but that’s a chunk of change I’m out now. Surely Ford knows this can’t wait, right?” wrote Fsuga00.

“This explains why my MME has been sitting in a rail yard since 10/28, my original ETA of 11/21-11/27 was changed to 1/3-1/9, and I have zero confidence that I’ll actually take delivery in the new range. Waiting another year for the tax rebate stinks, too. Brutal,” wrote oadesign.

The Reddit discussion noted that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration didn’t have the recall posted on its website yet. The Ford letter lists the situation as Compliance Recall 21C36.

The Mustang is built at the Cuautitlan Assembly Plant in Mexico, and the Maverick is built at the Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly in Mexico.

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