How to interpret Ford Online Vehicle Tracker + Tips & Tricks

[ItMeMatP]

You serious? I have convoy listed too so I was hoping I wouldn’t have to deal with a train. I did end up going by rail but it at least makes sense since I’m all the way in Jersey, you’re at most one state away! It can’t be cheaper to put it on rail to go 4 hours than to truck it 4 hours, can it?

You would think right!? Just spit-balling I'm wondering if my area (I'm actually just over the border in Ontario) has so many orders that it made sense? I don't think being over the border has any relevance to shipment through convoy or rail. But yeah I was all excited about it being shipped to now find out mine might be stuck in a yard for a couple more weeks.

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[Interstellar]

Updated infographic. Thanks for the feedback everyone! (no my March order still hasn't shipped )

 

[ToyPonyForTony]

Any explanations for this? The green dots are gone.

 

[Jnatoka]

Any explanations for this? The green dots are gone.

I got the same thing today. Mine went back to order confirmed, but I’ve heard that’s a good thing and that maybe it means it shipped.

 

[Interstellar]

Any explanations for this? The green dots are gone.

I got the same thing today. Mine went back to order confirmed, but I’ve heard that’s a good thing and that maybe it means it shipped.

Under notes section of my post:
"Sometimes the tracker will display dates with or without green bubbles or checkmarks underneath. This is simply a UI glitch. The only thing to focus on is date or lack thereof"

 

[HWill]

"Built" does mean shipping process has started. "Shipped" as discussed ad nauseum above, can mean many things, but generally speaking, is a meaningless date

Built means awaiting shipment and Shipped means a carrier has taken possession of the vehicle and the date is accurate at lease for mine.

I would also advise NOT to call Ford Chat after the vehicle has shipped as they will not have up to date information once the vehicle is in transit.

 

[BlackFerret69]

Howdy all, there seems to be so much confusion regarding the online vehicle tracker and I figured a thread that new people could learn from would settle down some of the uncertainty and questions. Might be smart to sticky this too.

First off, what is the Ford Vehicle Tracker? It can found at the link HERE
To use it, you will need your VIN number and order code. Generally speaking, both of these come from your dealer. The order code pretty much has to come from your dealer, but the VIN can come from Ford chat assuming your order has been processed through Ford (and not just your dealer).

Ford chat can be reached HERE and Ford Performance Chat can be reached HERE​

You should receive an email from Ford immediately saying your order has been confirmed. This is the date that will eventually show under "Order Confirmed"

Note: This may be the last time you receive an email from Ford. The email system is highly automated and many users report inaccurate, delayed, or missing emails every step of the way.​

Next Ford will assign a week you are scheduled for production. This date is likely to change and is meaningless until you are assigned a blend date and a window sticker is generated. You will receive a date under "Scheduled Week of" when your build is actually sent to the factory.

Technically, this is the BEGINNING of your car's production, although parts aren't physically assembled until your blend date (which is found at the top of your window sticker where it says "Blend")​

Obviously the next step is completing/assembling your build (which again actually begins on Blend Date not on the date under "Scheduled Week of"). This may take a few days or a few weeks, depending on your blend date's timing relative to your scheduled week, the complexity of your build, and any unforeseen delays.
When your vehicle is BUILT, you will see a date under "In Production".

AT THIS POINT YOU MAY START RECEIVING ETA'S FROM FORD CHAT OR YOUR DEALER. THEY ARE MEANINGLESS AND ARE COMPLETE GUESSES. MANY USERS' DATES HAVE COME AND GONE, MONTHS AT A TIME. Read below.​

Now begins the worst part of the process, waiting for the vehicle to ship. This may take hours or may take months (RIP all of us with early build dates). You can check with Ford chat for your vehicle's location in the meantime but this info is essentially meaningless. When your vehicle formally BEGINS SHIPPING TO DESTINATION (this might mean transfer to a rail yard, transfer to holding area to await pickup, or loaded straight on a truck to your dealer), you will see a date under "Built". This is an automated status update, and I have not seen any vehicles arriving without a date under "Built". Again, this is more of an admin status and your vehicle may or may have been physically moved from the plant at this point.
ETA MAY POPULATE IN THE BOTTOM OF YOUR TRACKER, AND ANY CHAT OR DEALER PROVIDED ETA'S CAN BE TAKEN AS "TRUE" ALTHOUGH STILL EXPECT DELAYS.


Next comes the date under "Shipped". This section has been updated as of 8/31. For all orders, this date seems to be fairly inaccurate or random when it appears. Note that many users are reporting missing dates under "shipped" even after taking delivery from dealership. Any date listed here should be taken with a grain of salt, although an updated status here does mean more "progress" has been made since the "Built" date.

• FOR CONVOY (truck) DELIVERY ORDERS: Generally, this date should appear when the shipper has received your Mustang or the Mustang has officially been "released" to the shipper (released in this context could also be an admin status, not an actual physical status. Some trackers report shipped dates 1+ months before an estimated ETA). This date may also appear when your mustang is delivered. This date may appear when your vehicle is already in transit. This date may never appear.
• FOR RAIL (train) DELIVERY ORDERS: Generally, this date should appear when your Mustang has moved from a factory ramp to a railyard. A date might appear when your Mustang is loaded on the train. A date might appear when the train makes its first stop or while already in transit. This date may never appear.

Again, the tracker MAY OR MAY NOT update to include a date under "Shipped". This seems to be a process that requires an input from someone, so this date may never appear, even if your car has been delivered to its destination.
REGARDLESS OF DELIVERY TYPE: THIS DATE IS ESSENTIALLY MEANINGLESS; Some users have 0 days between "shipped" and arrival, while some users have "shipped" status for weeks before leaving Michigan.

Finally, your car needs dealer prep before you get the keys. A date seems to appear under "Final Preparation" as soon as dealer acknowledges receipt of car, but again, may remain blank even if your car is ready.

Notes:

• Sometimes the tracker will not load or display an error message. Refresh/try a different browser/come back later.
• Sometimes the tracker will display dates with or without green bubbles or checkmarks underneath. This is simply a UI glitch. The only thing to focus on is date or lack thereof
• Bugging Ford chat or your dealer may provide more detailed information, but 99% of the time they will not know anything more than the tracker
• ESTIMATED DATES OF ANY KIND ARE LIKELY TO BE INCORRECT
• Of course, the tracker may be completely busted or incorrect sometimes, so no need to comment "tHe trAcKEr is WRonG FoR mE"

TL;DR see picture below or simply shift the title of all statuses to the left to get your vehicle's correct status. The status displayed is always 1 phase behind what is really happening.

Edited 8-31: Infographic updated, "Shipped" details added and updated in post. Small correcting to "Built" details in post

Okay, I have questions about order status after "Order Confirmed" and before "Scheduled".

I have used Ford chat 3 times.

First two times got the status of "Your order is in order processing and is Unscheduled - Clean".

Today, I contacted Ford chat and got the status of "In order processing". "Your order has been entered into the Ford Ordering System and is currently waiting to be scheduled and placed in the first available production week!"

Isn't that essentially the same thing, or is that a significant change in status?

 

[MGHTYDX]

Any explanations for this? The green dots are gone.

The blue dots with checkmarks will come back in a day or two...at least mine did.

 

[RJV15]

Shipped does not mean the car has been loaded to its final destination!
If its going by rail, it will switch to shipped once the carrier takes it to the rail. It will stay shipped until it has arrived to your destination. The movements in between the carrier taking it to the railyard and it arriving at your destination will trigger your tracker to have a new date under "last update".

If your car went straight to the dealership from flatrock, then it will obviously be quicker, and that initial pickup will take it to the dealership.

The difference is whether you are going to a railyard or convoy all the way. Either way when a carrier picks it up, whether to railyard or destination, it will show shipped. Its up to you to find out which one you are, the window sticker saying "convoy" does not mean it will be 100% convoy.

 

[DevilDog]

Tracker shows my car built as of 8/28. Vehicle sticker shows Ramp One CV51, whatever that means. My dealer can't be more than 6-7 hours from Flat Rock. I'm just hoping my car magically appears within the next few days. I ain't gettin' any younger.

 

[10basscat]

A date under shipped does not mean your car has arrived at its destination (dealer). My tracker says 09/02/2022 under shipped. My dealer looked it up using vinview and it is on a train still in Michigan….

 

[Interstellar]

A date under shipped does not mean your car has arrived at its destination (dealer). My tracker says 09/02/2022 under shipped. My dealer looked it up using vinview and it is on a train still in Michigan….

This has been addressed and fixed already

 

[Sawaiz23]

I am ordering from Georgia and my order was shipped 12/06. After talking with ford chat today I was told my car is in Atlanta and I am taking delivery in Athens. My dealer however says that it can take up to 6 weeks to retrieve from the railyard, has anyone else had this problem and been able to "convince" the dealer to figure that out. I am sorry but six weeks to pick up the car that is literally an hour away from you just seems kind of ridiculous to me.

 

[Interstellar]

I am ordering from Georgia and my order was shipped 12/06. After talking with ford chat today I was told my car is in Atlanta and I am taking delivery in Athens. My dealer however says that it can take up to 6 weeks to retrieve from the railyard, has anyone else had this problem and been able to "convince" the dealer to figure that out. I am sorry but six weeks to pick up the car that is literally an hour away from you just seems kind of ridiculous to me.

Unfortunately, many were/are in the same boat and the dealer does not/will not have any control on the car until it gets delivered to their dealership.
You're gonna hate me but you just gotta be patient. You might be next in line, you might have 4 more weeks of waiting. There's no telling

 

[Interstellar]

I am ordering from Georgia and my order was shipped 12/06. After talking with ford chat today I was told my car is in Atlanta and I am taking delivery in Athens. My dealer however says that it can take up to 6 weeks to retrieve from the railyard, has anyone else had this problem and been able to "convince" the dealer to figure that out. I am sorry but six weeks to pick up the car that is literally an hour away from you just seems kind of ridiculous to me.

Unfortunately, many were/are in the same boat and the dealer does not/will not have any control on the car until it gets delivered to their dealership.
You're gonna hate me but you just gotta be patient. You might be next in line, you might have 4 more weeks of waiting. There's no telling

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