While Ford has certainly faced its fair share of production issues over the past three years or so, another problem reared its ugly head recently at the Louisville Assembly plant – a software issue – which prompted the automaker to pause production of the Ford Escape and 2023 Lincoln Corsair for several weeks. Production is expected to resume today, March 6th, but as a result of this shut down, very few Lincoln Corsair crossovers, in particular, have been built so far this year.
According to Ford’s official numbers, just 366 Lincoln Corsair crossovers were built at the Louisville plant in January, and none came off the assembly line in February. That’s obviously an extremely low number, even when compared to its counterpart, the Escape. Ford built a grand total of 3,901 Escapes in January and 494 in February, making for a year-to-date total of 4,395 units.
While both refreshed models have been affected by this software bug, it seems as if the Corsair took the brunt of the impact, though there is some reason for optimism moving forward. FoMoCo recently stated that it has discovered a fix for this problem – reportedly affecting the vehicle’s gauge clusters – which should result in production of both models restarting today – though no retail units of either the 2023 Escape or Corsair have been delivered yet.
“We do have a new re-flash to address the programming issue we have with the clusters,” Brandon Reisinger, building chairman for the Louisville plant, recently told employees at that facility. “This re-flash does appear to be good. In all of the testing, they’ve had no issues so far. I think they finally have their issue resolved.”
We’ll have more on this problem affecting Escape and Corsair production soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Escape news, Lincoln Corsair news, and continuous Ford news coverage.
Comments
My 2017 loaded MKZ had serious digital dash & Nav screen blackout and freeze. So did my 2019 400hp MKZ. So did my 2020 MKZ hybrid. Thankfully all under warranty. I tried to order a 2022 Corsair GT but delayed production many times and arrived 11 months later. I gave up a few months before it arrived & Lincoln was taking 2023 Corsair orders. Bought another brand! Looks like same story for 6 years… increase prices but have same excuses for lack of production. Sad!
I’ve been waiting on my 2023 Corsair Grand Touring for a long time and now with the shut downs I am wondering if I will ever see it. I understand supply chain issues but software issues… where is your quality control????Ever heard of Six Sigma. Maybe you should talk to Motorola. That is a proven system that helps prevent issues such as this.
Quality control caught the issue before any vehicles went out to customers. That’s how it is supposed to work.
I think the Lincoln brand is dying a slow death, sad to say. It would be nice to have a new edition of the Town Car and MK VIII back in the lineup. Navigators are all priced at $100,000 plus. I have had a 2023 Corsair on order since early November. They just keep pushing the build date back. The last time I looked, it was scheduled for May 9th. Sad times for the Blue Oval. Quality issues and parts shortages are unending.
We ordered our Corsair August 26 2022. The last date I saw today was March 24 now tonight it says my VIN number is not valid. That number has worked for months. They must be getting ready to change the date again.
it’s hard to sell corsairs if your not making any. I ordered one a 2023 corsair hybrid 09 22 22
Lincoln is dying a slow death as one commenter stated here. They have been plagued with numerous problems so many that I couldn’t list them here. Many of these problems is because Ford has never been committed to Lincoln like it should. From quality issues horrible customer and service network and lack of brand promotion. Maybe GM has more resources than Ford and while they have had their share of issues with Cadillac the brand is still relevant in the luxury car segment certainly if you want to buy American. The current Navigator which I thought was and did sell good never came close to overtaking the Escalade. When the Aviator came along I thought, “wow” Lincoln finally scored a Sales winner. What happen Ford screwed it up with quality issues so bad their were recalls. That prevented the Aviator from becoming a Sales leader in its segment and has instead been over taken by the XT6 which is nothing more than a gussied up Denali. Lincoln failure is Ford fault and they need to admit it. They may say they have tried to make the brand relevant but they haven’t tried hard enough and in the right areas. Take your Lincoln to get serviced at a Ford dealer and the experience is a nightmare. Not a good experience when you spend that kind of money.
The only thing that I am very irritated about is the fact that they have emailed me once per week since January to let me know that my order will delayed yet another week…but never a single mention that production had stopped. They were telling me that my production date was changing and they knew they were shut down.
Agree. Very disappointing. I really wanted to buy American, specifically a Lincoln. I ordered a 2022 Corsair in December 2021 and canceled my order in November 2022 when my vehicle was delayed for the 10th time. Now I’m looking for a smaller truck (Maverick) and orders for the 2023 model are no longer being accepted… Local Ford dealership tells me they are doing “better than ever.”
I have ordered my 2023 lincoln corsair in November. My production date the 23rd of this month.
I will be importing new Chinese vehicles over to the US for private sales. Like The 2023 lincoln zephyr. And alot of there Ev’s also.
Placed my order for a 2023 Lincoln Corsair “Reserve” on October 15, 2022.
Have called/texted and checked in “at” the dealership at least once a month with little to no response. Was originally told 8-10 weeks and is now going on a 6th month wait for this expensive little SUV. I’m not sure how to “redo” my original order on a depreciated vehicle.
It has the options my wife picked (colors, wheels, electronics etc.) so now thinking of something else, but it’s all more work (again) when you are 71 years old.
I’m very distressed with this Lincoln ordeal and would expect some adjustments if this vehicle is ever built and still thought of as new.
I ordered my 2023 Corsair Grand Touring in the early part of January 2023. After reading the comments in this section I have a major concern that I’ll see a vehicle before July or August. I was told it would be 4 to 6 months before I would see a vehicle when I ordered. I hope that becomes true.