I figured, lol, and I don’t disagree.  

Also the uncertainty of what is coming next with changes from government regulations etc 

I am writing to formally express my extreme dissatisfaction with the ongoing issues I’ve experienced with my 2024 Ford F-350, which I purchased brand new from Cochran Ford of Youngstown at the end of December.   Since the time of purchase, the truck has been returned to Cochran Ford five times due to excessive vibrations at highway speeds. The issue first appeared at only 200 miles, just days into my ownership. Cochran attempted to resolve the problem by balancing the original tires—twice—without success. They then replaced them with a set of Bridgestones, which also could not be balanced properly. Eventually, they reinstalled the original tires while waiting for a new set of Michelins. Despite these efforts, the vibration issue persisted.   Each visit required long wait times for service appointments, Ford approvals, and tire deliveries. On one occasion, I was told that only three of the tires I needed were available nationwide. Meanwhile, each visit, I spent hours in the dealership waiting room as technicians struggled to operate the tire equipment.   After the fifth failed attempt, I contacted Ford Customer Care, who scheduled an appointment at Phil Fitts Ford in New Castle, PA. During a test drive with a technician—who frankly did not instill confidence in his professionalism- we both experienced the vibration firsthand. Surprisingly, he declared it “normal” and referenced a new 2025 F-350 on the lot that shook even worse. I was then advised by their service department that I should load 1,000 lbs in the bed to “align the pinion angles.” I chose not to let them service the truck.   Next, I reached out to Bill McCandless Ford in Mercer, requesting a Road Force balance. All four tires were tested, with Road Force Variance (RFV) results over 50—one exceeding 60. Their service advisor attempted to help, but after internal communication, her manager could be heard yelling that my issue was “Cochran’s problem.” Understandably, the advisor discontinued efforts to assist, though she did refer me to other dealers.   Upon following up again with Ford Customer Care, I was told my original case had been closed because it was incorrectly categorized as a passenger vehicle. A new case was opened, only for me to be told that tires are sold “as-is” and are not covered under warranty—despite this being a factory-equipped, brand-new vehicle.   Frustrated with the lack of support from Ford dealerships and Customer Care, I took my truck to Horst Tire Service. They performed a Road Force balance and were able to reduce RFV on two tires to the 20s through match mounting. The remaining two were still in the high 40s, so Horst ordered replacements and installed them without delay. The new RFV values were 2 and 23, and all four tires are now within acceptable limits. The total cost for this work was over $700—out of pocket for a defect on a $60,000 new truck.   While I’ve yet to fully test the truck at highway speeds, I can confirm the steering wheel vibration has been resolved, though some vibration remains in the seat. I’m hopeful that the tire replacement has finally resolved the issue, but the overall experience has been a complete nightmare.   I’ve lost confidence not only in this vehicle, but also in the Ford service network and the customer support process. When I attempted to trade the truck in for another brand, the dealership declined after reviewing the Carfax and advised me to “lean on Ford” to fix the issue before returning.   This has been an extremely frustrating and costly experience, and I regret purchasing this vehicle. I hope Ford takes this feedback seriously and considers how its current processes are failing loyal customers.

Seems to be a growing trend among many automakers to extend the lives of their vehicle platforms.  The longer you make a certain platform (e.g. Panther) the more money you make.  

I get what you’re saying and while Bronco’s specified CAFE target mpg may not be an issue right now, the numbers increase each year and could /will become problematic to the combined fleet tally for Ford. Not saying this is so and I don’t have any insider knowledge to support this but one way around the CAFE problem would be to name the first two CE1 BEVs Ranger and Bronco.  

Thanks for video.  News on Mercedes GLC just prior to Colorado segment, and Afeela just after are quite interesting also.  Wonder what’s behind the Colorado delay?

From Auto Forecast Solutions.  Go to the 7:39 mark.   https://www.autoline.tv/daily/ad-4054-u-s-house-ready-to-gut-ev-incentives-xiaomi-su7-gets-lowest-quality-rating-gm-hires-sterling-anderson-as-product-czar/

Eh, with Ford's product cadence of late, that's likely the real launch date anyway lol.

We'll see if all of these convert, especially considering the low price of entry at $50 for reserving....   Slate Already Has an Insane Amount of Reservations for its Truck   Slate, the startup electric carmaker with backing from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, revealed on Monday it has secured over 100,000 reservations for its affordable pickup truck. The refundable reservations cost $50 each, meaning Slate has raised over $5 million in reservation fees alone.  

I was being nice.  Though this one is less offensive than some of their other models.