With owners finally starting to pick up their Broncos from dealers, some are being faced with an unfortunate situation. Dealers are springing markups on buyers at the very last minute, sometimes mere days before their vehicles are scheduled to arrive at dealers.

Rory spotted the above tweet from our pal where he pointed out that posts had started to pop up on Bronco owner Forums and about owners last-minute markups.

One Bronco owner was consistently posting to ask for help with a $5,000 markup after being assured by the dealer that that wouldn’t happen. One story stood out from the rest though.

Posted in a YouTube video on a channel called it tells the story of a man, his wife, and the Bronco she ordered. After years of staying home with their kids, she went back to work and wanted to do something nice for herself. So she ordered a fully-loaded Bronco Outer Banks with an MSRP of $52,810 from in Coraopolis, PA. Her husband worked at the dealership for nearly 20 years, so he thought he had an in with them. Six days before the Bronco was set to arrive at the dealership, they received a call. The dealer was going to have to add on a $10,000 markup.

He countered with and was willing to accept a $5,000 markup. The dealer said no. Ultimately it looks as if she got her Bronco, and the dealer removed the markup. But the problem for other owners is still out there.

One reservation holder pointed out that reservation holders with dates from March 19th and earlier were sent emails from Ford that touched on price protection. I reached out to this individual and he sent me a copy of the email.

He pointed out to me that it appeared dealers were somehow adding on the markups as a separate charge. That way they technically weren’t increasing the MSRP. Other dealers seem to simply not care or be aware of the fact that this price protection exists. So I reached out to Ford for clarification on how the protection is supposed to work. And it gets kind of murky.

The price protection applies to customers with reservation made on or before March 19th on 2022 model year Broncos. But it only applies if a customer has a written purchase agreement with the dealer, something which Ford recommends, but omitted from the email and the FAQs on the Bronco site. Of course, I was informed that the final price is left up to dealers because of franchise laws which is a given. But if the final price is left up to the dealer, then is there really price protection?

Unfortunately, markups are part of every hot new vehicle release. That’s just how it is. But accepting an order and adjusting the price upward at the last minute is not normal behavior. It’s a shitty way to do business, especially when you’re dealing with people who have been waiting months or a year for their vehicle.

It’s great to have the Bronco back, but these dealers aren’t doing Ford any favors when it comes to keeping owners engaged and excited about their trucks.