Folding Headrests

[sajohnson]

I’m weirdly relieved to hear this because I traded my ’21 BB in for a ‘22 because I couldn’t resist the trade in value, and the ‘22 had the towing package I wanted. I just put the seats down for the first time yesterday and I thought I was going crazy.
Glad I’m not going crazy, but the ‘22 has a bunch of bummers. No rubber seat backs standard, crappier start button, no temperature display, no engine cover, no folding headrests... At this point I’m wondering what the next mild disappointment will be. (I really wish I would’ve looked closer when I was negotiating… I would’ve made a bigger stink!)

I'm still trying to get the folding headrests for our BL. I was re-reading this thread and saw your post.

You said, "At this point I’m wondering what the next mild disappointment will be."

You may already be aware of this but if not -- the towing package deletes the threaded hole for the tow eye. All Bronco Sport models with the tow package have no rear recovery point. I convinced our dealer to give us the Curt "Shackle Hitch Receiver" that Ford sells (also available on Amazon, etc.) to use as a rear recovery point.

For their part, Ford has just kept quiet about this. The owner's manual says, "You must carry the towing eye in your vehicle at all times." Unfortunately, a) Ford does not supply one, and b) if they did, there is no way it can be used. Apparently the thinking is that most people will never need to have their BS towed from the rear, so they won't know the difference.

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[Meanderthal]

 

[sajohnson]

I just got off the phone with the General Manager of our dealership. He is in touch with the Ford rep and waiting for a reply regarding the headrests.

The horse lives!

 

[dakman]

I just removed mine and left them out. Out of site out of mind. I don't have any body ever in the back seat so I don't miss them at all.

 

[sajohnson]

I just removed mine and left them out. Out of site out of mind. I don't have any body ever in the back seat so I don't miss them at all.

That's 'Plan B' for us as well.

I said elsewhere recently that none of these missing/deleted/discontinued parts are 'mission critical'. We can still drive down the road without:

* Folding head restraints
* An engine cover
* Hood insulation
* An illuminated 'start' button
* The dash panel
* Temp displays on the HVAC controls, etc.

About the only thing that IS potentially critical is the rear recovery point (the hole for the tow eye) that is deleted by the tow package.

In my view, it's the principle involved that is most important. A seller -- person or corporation -- should be crystal clear about what the buyer will be receiving. If parts/features/functions that normally exist and/or existed on previous models have been removed, then that should be prominently noted.

In this case:

* The 2021 Bronco Sport had most, if not all, of the parts/features listed above.
* It is logical to expect that subsequent models will have at least the same features, if not more.
* Folding headrests are not an absolute necessity, but they are not 'fluff' either.
* If Ford planned to eliminate them, they should have provided a way to store the basic units.
* When ordering the 2022 BS, most buyers could only go by Ford's "Build Tool".
* The Build Tool made/makes no mention of the rear headrests.
* 2022 brochures were not available (not in December at our dealer anyway).

Therefore, a reasonable buyer would assume that the 2022 BS has the folding headrests, and the other parts/features (unless Ford info indicates otherwise).

To deliver a vehicle without parts (without prior notice) and make no effort to replace them or offer a rebate is unethical. It is also short-sighted. Customers remember being burned.

A BS Forum member posted his experience with Mazda recently. Mazda was unable to supply upgraded speakers that customers had paid for. Instead of saying, "Too bad suckers -- if you want 'em you have to pay out of pocket!", Mazda voluntarily gave each customer a (approx.) $450 rebate, to cover the cost of replacement speakers.

That's how it should be done.

 

[bjbena]

HAHAHA. The horse is already decayed.

 

[13MikeH]

Has anyone tested/confirmed the presence of the fold mechanism minus the button? Maybe I missed that, some saying you can use a dowel to push in and fold the headrest?

 

[kyle_conrad]

Has anyone tested/confirmed the presence of the fold mechanism minus the button? Maybe I missed that, some saying you can use a dowel to push in and fold the headrest?

It's an entirely different structure to the headrest, the dowel might work on other styles but not this one.

 

[sajohnson]

Has anyone tested/confirmed the presence of the fold mechanism minus the button? Maybe I missed that, some saying you can use a dowel to push in and fold the headrest?

I was wondering the same thing. I'd forgotten that post until I read through this thread again earlier today.

I just checked and unfortunately there is no way. It is a completely different head restraint -- as Kyle said.

 

[Feint]

I’m honestly angry at this missing ignition light! There have already been so many times where I can’t remember if I’ve turned my car on/off already, and resort opening the door to see if any error message pops up. I wonder if there’s an inexpensive way to replace this in the future.

Enable the screen on your dash called, automatic start/stop or whatever it's called. It will give you engine status messages including when the engine is on, etc. You can also tell if the engine is off by looking at the RPM. If auto start stop is disabled, there's an indicator on the dash. So really, it's pretty easy to figure out what's going on. You can also step on the gas and see if anything happens. And when you get out of the car, you'll get that message you mentioned telling you the car is still on. And if you can't handle that, just trade in your car for something better.

 

[sajohnson]

UPDATE: Free headrests for 2022 Bronco Sport.

Initially we were told we would have to pay 100% out of pocket. Of course if we were willing to do that we could have bought them months ago.

Then a couple days ago the GM at the dealership offered to split the cost with us. I declined, as a matter of principle, because the buyer/customer should not be expected to pay any amount for parts that should have been included with a brand new (not used/as-is) vehicle.

I laid out my case (see post #110 above) and added that even our 1997(!) RAV4 (the vehicle the BS BL replaced) has holes to store the headrests when the rear seats are folded. The GM said I had convinced him and that he would order the folding headrests.

He said the dealership would be paying for them. That bothers me, because it's FORD that should be covering the cost, not the dealer. Some parts, like the missing dash panel, are covered by Ford under warranty. With others it's hard to tell what the real deal is. Whatever the case, dealerships usually claim that they are paying for whatever it is, to score points with the customer. I'm hoping that in this case Ford is actually paying.

A couple notes -- we don't have the headrests yet, and apparently Ford cannot exactly match the "Area 51" interior. My wife and I are both 'function over form' people so that's not a big deal -- as long as they are reasonably close (e.g., not yellow).

Something I haven't checked into yet is whether the 2021 BS could be ordered with the Area 51 interior -- because if so, then matching folding headrests should be available.

 

[MJE]

UPDATE: Free headrests for 2022 Bronco Sport.

Initially we were told we would have to pay 100% out of pocket. Of course if we were willing to do that we could have bought them months ago.

Then a couple days ago the GM at the dealership offered to split the cost with us. I declined, as a matter of principle, because the buyer/customer should not be expected to pay any amount for parts that should have been included with a brand new (not used/as-is) vehicle.

I laid out my case (see post #110 above) and added that even our 1997(!) RAV4 (the vehicle the BS BL replaced) has holes to store the headrests when the rear seats are folded. The GM said I had convinced him and that he would order the folding headrests.

He said the dealership would be paying for them. That bothers me, because it's FORD that should be covering the cost, not the dealer. Some parts, like the missing dash panel, are covered by Ford under warranty. With others it's hard to tell what the real deal is. Whatever the case, dealerships usually claim that they are paying for whatever it is, to score points with the customer. I'm hoping that in this case Ford is actually paying.

A couple notes -- we don't have the headrests yet, and apparently Ford cannot exactly match the "Area 51" interior. My wife and I are both 'function over form' people so that's not a big deal -- as long as they are reasonably close (e.g., not yellow).

Something I haven't checked into yet is whether the 2021 BS could be ordered with the Area 51 interior -- because if so, then matching folding headrests should be available.

Should be. I thought the BL cloth interior was the same but for the choice of orange or blue accents. I didn’t think it was a new choice for 22. Mind you I’d think all the other seat fabrics would be the same but for the orange or blue. Maybe not.

 

[sajohnson]

Should be. I thought the BL cloth interior was the same but for the choice of orange or blue accents. I didn’t think it was a new choice for 22. Mind you I’d think all the other seat fabrics would be the same but for the orange or blue. Maybe not.

Thanks MJE.

I see that the photo you posted is from Ford and indicates it is a 2022 model. The rear seats are shown with the folding head restraints.

 

[MJE]

Thanks MJE.

I see that the photo you posted is from Ford and indicates it is a 2022 model. The rear seats are shown with the folding head restraints.

Are those the folding ones? I couldn’t tell. Yes, I just took it straight off Ford. But I’m sure it was the same interior choices as 21, not like I didn’t read all the available choices for 21 & 22 before finally placing an order lol.

https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/attachments/05-01-21-bronco-sport-order-guide-pdf.9072/
Yes, I thought this might work. The 2021 order guide does show BL as available with either orange or blue interior then.

 

[sajohnson]

Are those the folding ones? I couldn’t tell. Yes, I just took it straight off Ford. But I’m sure it was the same interior choices as 21, not like I didn’t read all the available choices for 21 & 22 before finally placing an order lol.

https://www.broncosportforum.com/forum/attachments/05-01-21-bronco-sport-order-guide-pdf.9072/
Yes, I thought this might work. The 2021 order guide does show BL as available with either orange or blue interior then.

I cannot tell with 100% certainty that the head restraints in the photo are the folding type, because the image is too dark to see if there is a release button on the side. However, they are clearly *not* the small, basic, headrests that our BS BL has in the rear. So unless there is a 3rd type of headrest -- one that is the same size and shape of the folding ones, but is fixed -- it is all but guaranteed the ones in the photo are the folding head restraints.

In my post above (#110) I failed to mention that in addition to the build tool not saying anything about the rear headrests and the 2022 brochure not being available, Ford had published photos of the 2022 BS that showed it with the folding headrests. Perhaps that was an 'oversight', or maybe it was intentional, but either way, buyers were clearly led to believe that the 2022 models would be equipped with the same folding head restraints the 2021 BS has.

Thanks for the link to the BS Order Guide. I did a screen grab of the interior color section and sent it to our dealer. Based on that info a match should be available.

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