Anyone else missing the panel under the dash above the passenger side fuse box where the floor air ducts are.

[Caliope]

Does anyone have a 22 that came with it? If so, when was it built? Mine was early February and no passenger insulation panel.

My ordered 22 was built 12/7/21 and does not have it. My VIN ends in 00493, so it is among the first 22's built.

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[Escape2Bronco]

My ordered 22 was built 12/7/21 and does not have it. My VIN ends in 00493, so it is among the first 22's built.

Thanks for the feedback. It sure seems none of the ‘22’s came with the insulation panel.

 

[sajohnson]

My ordered 22 was built 12/7/21 and does not have it. My VIN ends in 00493, so it is among the first 22's built.

FYI -- Many owners posting in this thread, myself included, have been able to get the dash panel free of charge from the dealer.

Installation is easy, no tools req'd, it snaps into place. It lowers the sound/db level from the HVAC blower and protects the wiring under the dash, so it's good to have it in place.

Needless to say, what percentage of vehicles in a specific model year have (or are missing) a certain feature or part does not necessarily tell us much. If all BS trims are missing the dash panel it could mean Ford deleted it (without notice) but it also could mean that it simply was not available during production -- as has been the case with parts on other Ford models.

What matters (whether it's one car or 100,000) is:

* Should the part or feature have been included?
* How important is it?

If the mfr makes public announcements and posts notices on their website(s) that specific parts and/or features have been eliminated for the coming model year, then the buyer can make an informed decision.

If the mfr is forced to delete parts due to supply line issues, notifies buyers, and either provides those parts ASAP or reimburses customers for parts and features they paid for but did not receive, no problem. They did the best they could do and made their buyers whole.

However, if parts and/or features are eliminated 'quietly' -- without notice; without a legitimate reason, and the customer is not compensated -- that is clearly unethical and wrong. At that point the mfr is simply taking advantage of trusting buyers.

I hope your dealer gets the panel for you without any trouble.

 

[Cactusjk]

Ok - got the panel. Any install advice?

 

[sajohnson]

Ok - got the panel. Any install advice?

Warm it up with a hairdryer and then...

Just kidding -- it just snaps into place. First, the two tabs in the rear (toward the firewall) and then two pins at the front that push up into two holes.

Ours did not fit perfectly, but it's OK. It's not like anyone will see it.

 

[Cactusjk]

Warm it up with a hairdryer and then...

Just kidding -- it just snaps into place. First, the two tabs in the rear (toward the firewall) and then two pins at the front that push up into two holes.

Our did not fit perfectly, but it's OK. It's not like anyone will see it.

Thanks! If you need to remove it what needs to be done?

 

[sajohnson]

Thanks! If you need to remove it what needs to be done?

Remove it you say?

I don't think we learn how to do that until next semester...

No, seriously, I haven't had any reason to remove it. I did read here that "there's a special tool for that" -- a small plastic pry tool to remove the 2 posts from the holes. I imagine a person could improvise, just use a cloth to protect the plastic.

 

[Escp2BroncoS]

Our 22 BS OB was also missing the panel. Our salesperson had the parts dept. order the panel and shipped it to our home all at no charge. No hassle whatsoever. Very easy to install.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

Thanks! If you need to remove it what needs to be done?

Pretty sure it needs to be removed to get to the fuses unless you never need to get to the fuses. Just uninstall it in the reverse order as you did to install it. Buy a set of auto body trim tools. Makes it a snap.

GOOACC 5PCS Auto Trim Removal... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V22YC9J?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[Escape2Bronco]

Our 22 BS OB was also missing the panel. Our salesperson had the parts dept. order the panel and shipped it to our home all at no charge. No hassle whatsoever. Very easy to install.

Pretty sure everyone will be missing it. Well, maybe not missing it per se, but not getting your Bronco with one installed. No one has said yet that a ‘22 has showed up with it.

 

[00Doc]

Pretty sure everyone will be missing it. Well, maybe not missing it per se, but not getting your Bronco with one installed. No one has said yet that a ‘22 has showed up with it.

I believe you are correct, when I ordered my panel the part number said it did not fit a 2022, I changed my vehicle year in the order information to a 2021 and it said the part fit.
I saw this same thing happen when I ordered a engine cover for my 2021 XLT Ranger, I had to order an engine cover for a 2020 Lariet as they were not available for the 2021 as Ford had stopped installing them on 2020 models except the Lariet and on all 2021 Ranger models.

 

[Wolf256]

My 2022 came in without the panel. Built in March and arrived in April. When service ordered the part it was backordered until mid May. My thought was Ford decided to ship without it. Personally, I would not have wanted to wait another two months for a panel that can’t be seen. I do however, think Ford should have notified their dealers that all the vehicles, shipped without, would need the panel once it was in stock. I’ve been pleased with my dealer. Thankful that I didn’t have to play games to get what I wanted. Was I happy with everything? No. Did I get what I would have liked for my trade? No, but it did have some light body damage and there was a brake sensor that was throwing code. I traded it anyway and didn’t have to deal with it. West Hills (Ford) will get my business again and they’re in the same county. They are a huge complex with many ‘brands’. The Sales and Service departments were polite and helpful. I’ll go there for service and if I need another vehicle, I‘ll go there, too.

 

[Escape2Bronco]

My 2022 came in without the panel. Built in March and arrived in April. When service ordered the part it was backordered until mid May. My thought was Ford decided to ship without it. Personally, I would not have wanted to wait another two months for a panel that can’t be seen. I do however, think Ford should have notified their dealers that all the vehicles, shipped without, would need the panel once it was in stock. I’ve been pleased with my dealer. Thankful that I didn’t have to play games to get what I wanted. Was I happy with everything? No. Did I get what I would have liked for my trade? No, but it did have some light body damage and there was a brake sensor that was throwing code. I traded it anyway and didn’t have to deal with it. West Hills (Ford) will get my business again and they’re in the same county. They are a huge complex with many ‘brands’. The Sales and Service departments were polite and helpful. I’ll go there for service and if I need another vehicle, I‘ll go there, too.

I think most dealers are buying it for their customers if requested. I’m guessing it’s a relatively small amount of people that are even asking and it has a retail price around 50, so a cog to dealer around 25 or 30 and that’s not to much to please a customer.

Since they’ve been available since the end of April, we are still seeing cars built much after that without them my guess is they are no longer being shipped at all for the 2022’s.

 

[sajohnson]

My 2022 came in without the panel. Built in March and arrived in April. When service ordered the part it was backordered until mid May. My thought was Ford decided to ship without it. Personally, I would not have wanted to wait another two months for a panel that can’t be seen. I do however, think Ford should have notified their dealers that all the vehicles, shipped without, would need the panel once it was in stock. I’ve been pleased with my dealer. Thankful that I didn’t have to play games to get what I wanted. Was I happy with everything? No. Did I get what I would have liked for my trade? No, but it did have some light body damage and there was a brake sensor that was throwing code. I traded it anyway and didn’t have to deal with it. West Hills (Ford) will get my business again and they’re in the same county. They are a huge complex with many ‘brands’. The Sales and Service departments were polite and helpful. I’ll go there for service and if I need another vehicle, I‘ll go there, too.

If I had to guess, I'd say you're correct that Ford decided to ship without it (and other parts). They were/are under pressure to keep the line moving -- knowing, as you said, that people would not want (or be willing) to wait weeks or months longer due to a non-critical (if important) part. It's better to go ahead and finish production and have the owner or dealer add the missing parts later. Ford did that with chips for the rear HVAC in one of their larger SUVs. No problem.

Or, if the parts cannot be sourced, pay the buyer for them. That's what Mazda did when they could not find the right speakers for the stereo in one of their models. They stepped up, told the buyers what the deal was, and paid them each $400+ to cover the cost.

Quote:

" I do however, think Ford should have notified their dealers that all the vehicles, shipped without, would need the panel once it was in stock."

Exactly. That would have been the ethical -- and smart -- thing to do.

To those who say, 'It's not that important'; 'It isn't very expensive'; 'No one will ever see it', etc., I would say that many parts/components fit one or more of those descriptions. Most buyers still want them!

It can quickly become a slippery slope. If it's OK to summarily eliminate (say) the dash panel because it's not important and/or expensive and/or visible, what about the jack; spare tire; towing eye; hood insulation; folding head restraints; inverter for the 120Vac outlets; seat warmers -- on and on.

Cost and/or importance aside, issues like this are a matter of principle. Wee all expect to get what we are told we are paying for. If a person buys a dozen eggs they expect 12 -- not 9 or 10. The last thing they want to hear from the store manager is, "It's only 2 eggs, what's the big deal?" The manager should apologize and make it right -- even if it's "only 2 eggs."

You are fortunate to have found such a good dealer. If you haven't done so already, you might consider posting reviews on BBB; Dealer Rater; Google; Yelp, etc.

 

[Mick2022OB]

Ok - got the panel. Any install advice?

Any possibility you have the part number?

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