The ongoing chip shortage is pretty bad at the moment and it looks like as a result of the global shortage, Ford will be shipping some of its Explorer SUVs without rear climate control where some customers will have cars that do not come with rear heating or air conditioning controls.
This does not mean that passengers in the backseat of its Explorer SUVs will not have access to heating or air conditioning, but rather the controls will not be available. They can still be controlled from the front, so it’s more of a minor inconvenience than anything.
According to Ford spokesperson Said Deep, they told The Verge that this was done to help bring the cars to customers faster, as opposed to waiting for the chips before shipping the cars. So what does this mean for those who ordered their Explorer SUVs? Basically, once the necessary components have arrived, customers will be able to take their cars to dealers and they will be installed.
Ford had previously planned to ship partially-built but undrivable cars, but with this change, the cars will be drivable and sellable. If you pretty much just drive only yourself, then this isn’t really an issue, but for those who typically have passengers in the backseat, the lack of rear controls will be a slight inconvenience.