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Can I get a copy of the window sticker as well?

Requesting info on 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid: VIN: 1FMCU49H8KB24946 Thank you so much!

I live in a major metro area... one of the top five largest cities in the country.

First in their line. Order is still clean and unscheduled.

Maybe this thread will get things going... maybe someone from Ford will weigh in. Is anybody in Dearborn (i.e. the ivory towers) paying attention to the impact and lack of concern for their customers? What have you heard about lead times on customer orders for a 2008 FEH? What has your experience been? I'll start... I ordered in June. I was told then that I'd have the vehicle in 10 - 12 weeks. My order has been first in line since then and this is what I've heard since... from my dealer... what is fact, what is fiction 1) The NYC announcement that their cabs had to convert to FEHs has pushed back all of the customer orders 2) It's taking up to 6 months to fulfill an order 3) The delay in the orders has to do with the shutdown of the plant 4) Ford ran out of moonroofs so that is the delay 5) There isn't a single FEH within 1,000 miles of here What have I heard from other dealers? 1) We are getting FEHs in every few weeks 2) We can get you an order in about 6 - 8 weeks 3) We can definitely locate one for you

Last update I got was that the reason it hasn't been scheduled is that the dealer I placed the order through is "one of the smaller dealers" in the region and as a result, it may take a long time for them to get allocation. Meanwhile, there is a dealer in the same city who is getting a regular stock of vehicles, not attached to customer names, that you can buy off the lot. I had the dealer do a search, but they can't find one, and I have no way of doing it myself. I have a deposit down so I can't just walk over to the next guy to get it done either. I understand your system but at the end of the day, you have a customer is getting screwed. I was talking to guy who works for a well known industry publication and he told me that Ford is constantly holding dealers over a barrel with product lines that are dogs if they want fulfillment on the orders that they have in hand with end consumers. Where's the leadership from Ford who "monitors this board" to help explain how that makes sense? Ever hear of lifetime customer value? Ever hear of the basic management tenet that explains how it is exponentially more expensive to find a new customer than it is to keep a customer you have? Jeeze, I'm not even a real customer yet - since I don't have the car - and this is already a terribly disappointing experience.

10 weeks and counting... order still isn't scheduled. IS THERE ANYONE THAT CAN HELP?!

I place the ordder in June but didn't get a DORA until July. They told me they didn't have allocation to place an order.

Thanks for the clarification!

Thanks for your help Dean, I'll continue to wait and see. I hope the car is worth it.

I've ordered 3 different foreign vehicles and have averaged between 8 and 10 weeks. I gave the dealer the deposit on this car at the end of May (it's been 8 weeks) and it hasn't even been scheduled for production yet. If you are trying to suggest that I'm being unreasonable with my questions, please come out and say it. Perhaps if there was a bit more transparency with the way things have been handled thus far I wouldn't be so cynical.

ViperPilot: You are clearly very familiar with how things work so I'm wondering if you can provide me with some insight so I can better understand where things stand with an order I placed at the end of May. To date, the status of my order, according to Ford, my DORA shows the order as a priority 10 and that it is waiting for selection by the computer ordering system - there is no VIN number assigned at this point. According to my dealer, the order will be scheduled when the "regional rep" decides to pull it. I feel like I'm pretty clear on what the process is once the order get's scheduled/sent to the factory - its getting to that point that I'm confused by. Also, is there any place that I can go to see current backlogs and/or commodity issues for a particular vehicle? Thanks for any insight you can share! Cheers!

No updates at all. I called Ford today... order is still sitting there waiting for "computer selection". I've tried the dealer but the response I get from them is less than helpful. They seem more aggrivated with the fact that I'm asking questions than with the situation itself. It's like they'd rather me sit and shut up. After all, these are the same people who sat on the order for 6 weeks before even putting it in the system. I have a copy of the DORA and I am priority 10 - at this point, I'm at a total loss. This is my first American car, first Ford and it's far from a good experience. If this is the system that they have in place, it's no wonder that they are having the bigger problems that they are.

What does 5 jph mean?

That was a tremendous help! I'm getting closer to understanding the process. I have the DORA and I am priority 10 so if you don't mind, I'd like to ask a couple of follow-up questions. 1) What role does this "regional rep" play on deciding when my vehicle gets scheduled for production. Is the regional rep really some automated computer system? 2) Since I am, and have been for weeks, #1 in line, how long can it take for a dealer to get allocation? Could I theoretically sit for months waiting for the dealer to get allocated the single vehicle it takes to get to the next hurdle? 3) Is there a way to find out if there are specific commodity limitations? If it came down to it, I'd probably be willing to go without certain options if it means getting the car. 4) Am I wasting my time calling FORD and asking if it has been scheduled/VIN assigned on any other day than Friday? It sounds like if I call on Friday and it hasn't been, nothing will happen with it until the following Friday. I guess at the end of the day, my perspective is that once it hits the assembly line, it takes however long it takes. I've heard 8 weeks so that's what I'm assuming. It's just trying to understand (i.e. how long) it will take to get it to the point that a VIN has been assigned and it's out of the ether that is the computer.