Brand New Ford F-150s Destroyed In Massive Train Derailment | CarBuzz
By: Jay Traugott (CarBuzz)
by Jay Traugott
They were being shipped to dealers when this happened.
Ford has been working overtime finding creative ways to keep its assembly lines running throughout the semiconductor chip shortage crisis. Doing so couldn't be more critical for highly profitable models like the F-150 and the rest of the F-Series lineup. We've known for a while now that the Blue Oval has been parking nearly completed trucks in massive lots near the factories as they wait for transport to dealers. The only thing holding them back is semiconductor chips.
Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse, a large batch of Ford F-150s en route to anxious dealers and customers nationwide were involved in a massive accident. A 33-car train derailment happened in Missouri this past Monday, resulting in hundreds of trucks likely being totaled.
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The vehicles were probably being shipped from the nearby Kansas City Assembly plant, one of two Ford facilities where F-150s are built. The second is the Dearborn Truck Plant in Detroit. The Lake Gazette was told by a railroad employee that "The train was carrying wheat and brand-new automobiles, which are a total loss. It will be a couple days clean-up."
The Missouri Highway Patrol confirmed there were no injuries and an investigation is underway to explain the derailment. Authorities also confirmed there are no toxic fumes. In addition to the F-150s, Transit vans can also be counted as victims. They're built at the same factory.
Meanwhile, the derailed train blocked a local road and until things are cleared, no other trains can pass through. We don't know exactly how many F-150s and vans were onboard but it's a mess nonetheless. Ford has not released a statement at this time but we can assume it's in touch with state officials.
We don't know exactly how many trucks Ford has been stockpiling since late last year, but an anonymous source recently claimed the figure was between 6,000 to 7,000 units. In all, Ford has an estimated 60,000 incomplete vehicles. All they need are chips and they're good to go. That's easier said than done in the current climate.
CarBuzzCarBuzzCarBuzz Source Credits: The Lake Gazette
The train actually derailed in two places seeming targeting only the car carrier cars.
No politics, thank you.
Oh...the humanity!!!!!
All is not lost. One of my clients who was expecting several hundred of theses vehicles, says they will be totaled,
sold as B titles with no warranty ( probably sold to the rail company or their insurer )
and auctioned off as is. A boon to the used car market and aftermarket warranty companies.
Chances are they will still end up at a Ford dealership.
Not sure I would trust a truck that was involved in a train derailment.
Another client in SW PA received 60 F150s that have been sitting in a field waiting for the chips.
Mice, rats and other critters have taken their toll, primarily in the wheel wells under the hood and in one case, an interior.
Those vehicles will be repaired and sold with full warranty.
Not so sure those repairs will ever be disclosed to the consumers.
They could get the chips out of them though.
None of them had chips. Ford has decided to get the vehicles out of the storage fields because mother nature is
taking it's toll.
Dealers lucky enough to receive vehicles are finding birds nests, wasp nests, bee hives and plenty of rodent damage
to wiring harnesses.
If Ford would have shipped them via pipeline they wouldn't have that problem.../s
The future...
Quick, harvest all the chips that survived .....
Funny, I just read this morning about a lot with hundreds of new Broncos just sitting there.
They said some were having hard top, soft top problems, chip problems, who knows.
Probably close to a thousand just all sitting.
Most of the time, autos involved in a train wreck are paid for by the railroad and destroyed. Usually they run over them with a bulldozer and load them on gondolas and recycle them whole. No parts are supposed to be salvaged. Railroads and automakers would rather do this because of liability issues. Awful waste but the railroads and manufactures have lost lawsuits over cars that were in train wrecks.
Maybe this time they might save the chips
No need, no chips in these trucks...
Thanks for the info.!!
Where do the chips come from - who makes them? (The answer is NOT Lays or McDonalds)
CarBuzz of the Orient
Just wondering. If you HAD to give up either your car(s) or your gun(s), which would it be?