If you dig around in any car, under the hood or inside, you can find all sorts of strange parts. If you bought a cheaper model, you might find a bunch of blanked-off switches or wiring harnesses that lead nowhere. Or, if you bought a modern Ford Bronco, you might find a completely fake speaker and amp (yes, fake parts almost like movie props) in the back. Isn’t that curious?
A video of Close the LoopButtercupTV gives us a good look at this curious manufacturing decision by Ford. In the back of his Bronco, there is a “dummy” amplifier and subwoofer hidden behind a trim panel. Neither is functional, although the speaker looks like a real one and there are wires coming out of the amp. The trim panel even has a grill for the speaker, although neither works!
Do some research online and you’ll find many Bronco owners who have found the same fake components in the back of their truck. So what’s going on? Why would Ford put fake parts in the Bronco?
For what?!
First, some context. In late 2022, the COVID-19-induced chip shortage wreaked havoc on Bronco production again, just weeks into a new model year. Ford ran out of parts to deliver the new standard seven-speaker audio system it had promised for some 2023 model-year vehicles. Of those seven speakers, one was a subwoofer that sat in the rear of the vehicle. Ford reasonably figured it could remove the subwoofer without unduly compromising sound output. This allowed the automaker to continue churning out Broncos. Notably, this only affected models with the standard audio system, not those with the upgraded Bang and Olufsen system, which used different components.
Ford obviously didn’t hide this from its customers. As noted on the Bronco6G forums, those with active orders were notified in advance and asked to sign a confirmation form regarding the change. Customers received a $250 discount off the MSRP in exchange for removing the subwoofer. Ford also informed customers that their vehicles would not be equipped with the subwoofer at a later date.
Removing the components made sense. Ford couldn’t get the chips needed to make the amplifiers that powered the subwoofer, and it seemed silly to delay production because of a single speaker. So Ford made the decision and kept the production lines running. It all makes sense. However, exactly how Ford did it is rather curious.
You see, Ford didn’t just ship the vehicles without the subwoofer and amp. Instead, it put the components in the vehicles anyway, just using dummy amps and subwoofers instead. The amps are easily identifiable: they have the same aluminum casing as a regular unit, but with a red X on it to indicate dummy status. As covered by Best Car Audio SystemThe amplifier case has connectors and a circuit board inside, but it is not equipped with components. Meanwhile, subwoofers do not have magnets, which would be an easy way to cut costs on a sub that is not used anyway.
Although we know Why Ford did this (supply chain constraints), we don’t know for sure Why They chose this specific method rather than leaving the space blank. And while Ford’s decision-making here isn’t exactly intuitive (making fake speakers and amps costs money), I have a few guesses.
On a superficial level, it would probably make more sense to simply not Ford decided to install amps and subwoofers in its vehicles, but there’s clearly a reason for it. Since research failed to provide me with an official explanation, I reached out to the automaker for their take. In the meantime, let’s speculate (intelligently!) on why Ford went to the trouble of installing dummy parts.
For one thing, using dummy parts would help avoid disruption to Ford’s finely tuned assembly line processes, even with a rapidly changing supply chain situation. The worker tasked with bolting together subwoofers and amps? He or she will continue to do the job the same way. Sure, you could tell him or her to take a few months off or give him or her a new job, but that’s a matter of time. change, and change becomes expensive and complicated when you work in manufacturing. It’s best to leave them alone, right? It may sound silly, but sometimes the simplest path is the best one.
But more importantly, removing the subwoofer and amp has consequences. Remove the subwoofer and its enclosure, and suddenly there’s nothing between the interior trim and the Bronco’s metal exterior body panel. This could act as a funnel for noise to enter the cabin, especially when the subwoofer is near the rear wheel well. Small rock taps and other annoying noises could be much more audible without the subwoofer. Likewise, if the audio cable in the wiring harness didn’t have an amp to plug into, the connector on the end would just rattle around inside the trim. That would sound really annoying! (Editor’s note: I’m curious if the mass difference between the real part and the dummy part has any NVH implications. -DT).
A populated amp PCB from a Bronco that came with the full subwoofer kit. via Enfig Car Stereo, YouTube screenshot
These problems could be solved. Ford could have an engineer make some kind of clip to hold the connector. The subwoofer could also be replaced with a protective panel. However, these parts would have to be designed, manufactured, transported, and the technicians on the production line would have to be trained to install them. We are talking about many hours of work by probably dozens of people. And they are already very busy!
Ford took the easy way out. A call to the amp supplier: “Hey, we can’t get chips. Just send us the empty subwoofer amps and mark them with a red X.” And done. A call to the subwoofer supplier: “Hey, don’t bother putting magnets or coils in the Bronco subwoofers. Just send us dummies with the cones installed.” The suppliers eliminated unnecessary processes, Ford gets nearly identical parts, and doesn’t change anything on its end except for a little reconfiguration of the audio software.
Plug and play upgrades are possible, but some choose to use aftermarket amps instead.
Some have also speculated that removing the subwoofer or associated parts could have affected the Bronco’s crash-test approval. This is not my purview, but my engineering sense tells me that removing a speaker is not a significant enough change to be considered in this regard. I could be wrong, though, so I’ve spoken to Ford about this as well.
Renovations are possible
By the way, just because Ford has declined to offer upgrades, that doesn’t mean they aren’t possible. Many owners have gone about installing a subwoofer themselves, and it’s actually remarkably easy. All because Ford pretty much left everything in place!
For the amp, the dummy can be replaced with a working version numbered for the Ford Fusion. It plugs right in. As for the subwoofer, a 6.75″ Kicker subwoofer is a common choice. Then, a small modification with a FORScan OBDLink tool is enough to enable the subwoofer output in the audio system.
By making these simple changes, the Bronco’s audio system will come much closer to what the manufacturer originally intended. Low frequencies will no longer be underrepresented!
Ultimately, some will fault Ford for not launching a modernization campaign. As many owners have demonstrated, it’s not hard to remove a few trim pieces and put functional parts where they’re supposed to go. Instead, in a difficult manufacturing environment, Ford chose an easier solution that got the product to customers and washed its hands of it. Plus, it gave Bronco owners a fun weekend project. No harm, no foul?
Regardless, this gives us a glimpse into the weirdness of mass manufacturing. Sure, it might seem simpler for Ford to just omit parts when it can’t get them. But the reality is often more complex! Major automakers rarely do anything for stupid or frivolous reasons, outside of product design and planning, anyway. Dummy parts often exist for good reasons, even if they seem useless.
Image credits: Amazon, BuckleUpButtercupTV via YouTube screenshot