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When news about the 2021 Ford Bronco delivery date was announced, many enthusiasts that had already made their order were excited. But it seems like some of them have ended up disappointed, as there have been quality complaints concerning the hardtop.
If you know anything about a Bronco, you would know that the hardtop is an integral part, and if there are already complaints about it after a few weeks of the Bronco rolling off the production lines, then other customers would not help but be wary.
But you should know that having unforeseen circumstances and quality complaints are a part of what happens when you buy a new car in its first model year, so many off-roading enthusiasts expected this or something to happen.
Quality issues concerning a car like Bronco, which thousands of people have been anticipating for over a year, would be more popular than others. Now that Ford is aware of the issue, we can only expect that they increase the quality of their Broncos as time goes on.
To know more about this problem, you can carry on with reading our detailed review.
Background of the Ford Bronco Hardtop Challenge
One of the reasons why the 2021 Ford Bronco experienced production delays, which put many of the customers that had already placed their orders on edge, was the production of hardtops for the cars.
Webasto, the company which was in charge of making hardtops for the Bronco, was not able to meet up with the demands of the highly-anticipated vehicle. Although the company is already planning to open another factory to increase the production of hardtops, this was not expected to happen until 2022. This meant that many people who ordered hardtops would not be able to get their Broncos any time soon.
So, Ford announced that the optional painted hardtop would not be found in the Broncos released in the 2021 model year. This meant that anyone who wanted a hardtop and four-door Bronco, could either choose the soft top with a hardtop prep kit or a gray molded-in-color hardtop. Many buyers went for the latter, but now these delivered cars are being met with different complaints.
Problems Related to the Hardtop
Different owners who have purchased and received their Bronco are already reporting that there are quality issues with the hardtop. You can find some of these complaints on Bronco6G, a popular forum with Bronco enthusiasts.
One of the problems is that the headliner on the hardtop is peeling away by itself. There have also been reported cases of fiberglass sticking out of the roof panel. There are also raw edges, misaligned latches, detaching headliners, small cavities, etching in the glass, scratches, and more
In general, the problems are related to poor finishing on the different parts of the roof, probably because of the pressure on Webasto to meet up the overwhelming demands.
Keep in mind that the 2021 Ford Bronco does not have a solid roof alternative, and so you can either go for hardtop or soft top.
Other 2021 Ford Broncos Pain Points
Apart from the problems with the hardtop, users have noticed some other issues with their newly acquired Ford Bronco. One other problem with the Ford Bronco in the 2021 model year is in the cargo area.
Some users have reported that the panels above the wheel in the cargo area have been improperly secured. In worse cases, you would see the body of the screws used to secure it sticking out awkwardly.
Final Thoughts
Problems like this are not rare or surprising for a car that is still in its first production year. But because of how popular the Ford is, many buyers are asking questions about the quality of these molded-in-color hardtops and the volume too. Not only this, but the scarcity of the hardtops is still slowing down the production and the delivery of the hardtops.
Ford has only stated that it is aware of these problems and is looking into them, and all eyes are on them to see the kind of solution they come up with that can please their enraged buyers.
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