The first examples of the 2022 Ford Fiesta ST have arrived in Australia missing their branded sound system, leaving Ford to offer customers one of three offers as a remedy.
“Unfortunately, the first 73 new MY22 Fiesta ST vehicles for Australia were built with a non-branded, 6 speaker audio system instead of a Bang & Olufsen Play 10 speaker system with subwoofer (Branded Audio System),” said a Ford Australia spokesperson.
“The issue has now been resolved and all future arrivals will have the Branded Audio System, as intended.”
Of the 73 vehicles, 44 had been allocated to a buyer who had signed a contract. Consequently, Ford Australia is contacting these buyers to offer them a choice of options.
“They can cancel their contract and have their deposit refunded, or cancel their contract and wait for a Fiesta ST with the Branded Audio System in the next few months, or if they would like to proceed with their purchase we’re offering them a $500 cash payment as a remedy,” said the spokesperson.
Fiesta STs are now at dealerships.
Ford says it identified the issue and started contacting customers before deliveries commenced.
It’s therefore avoided the backlash it experienced with Mustang Mach 1 and Focus ST-3 buyers, where buyers have taken delivery of vehicles only to find advertised features were missing.
Fiesta ST buyers will also find a feature that Ford had previously said wouldn’t be available: AM radio.
When Ford announced pricing and specs for the Fiesta ST late last year, it said AM radio wouldn’t be available as it’s being phased out in Europe.
All the arrivals include this feature.
The facelifted Fiesta ST is priced at $33,490 before on-road costs, and receives new equipment like in-house sports seats with electric adjustment, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and matrix LED headlights with anti-dazzle high-beam.
However, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert are no longer available locally.
The 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine now has 30Nm more torque than before for a total of 320Nm, although peak power has stayed put at 147kW.
As before, the only transmission is a six-speed manual.
The facelifted Fiesta ST will be joined no earlier than August by an updated Focus ST.
Ford has delayed the Focus ST, previously set to arrive in the second quarter of this year, due to supply chain issues as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The updated small hatch was supposed to receive a 13.2-inch touchscreen running Ford’s Sync4 operating system, but supply issues have led to Ford fitting a smaller 8.0-inch screen running Sync3 in Europe.
Ford Australia, however, has chosen to wait for the new system, even though that means a delay.