With thousands of parts that make up a car, it is somewhat amazing that this doesn’t happen more often. A 2024 Mustang S650 was shipped to a dealership with mismatched front seats. As robotics make up much of the assembly process, how can this happen? And why didn’t someone notice, including the dealer?

Many components come from outside suppliers and have a numbering system to identify them to a specific vehicle on the assembly line. Bar codes on the parts help to keep track of them going from the supplier to the line. It is this type of tracking, along with internal quality controls, that keep dealers from seeing something like this. 

What are the differences with the Mustang S650 seats?

In other words, different seats landing in the same vehicle are a rarity. And while these seats look very similar to the naked eye, they feature completely different materials, trim colors, and Recarro logos. One has a leather covering, while the other features microsuede. 

Though it is hard to imagine, the mixup could be partially due to the seats having clear plastic wrapping. This helps to protect them during transit and jockeying at the assembly line. In the glare of the clear plastic, the details of the seats can get lost. 

Wasn’t Ford supposed to make quality a priority in 2023?

That doesn’t really explain how this came about, but there could be some truth to the idea. Still, pre-delivery inspections at the Flat Rock, Illinois, facility should have caught it. And Flat Rock is generally known for good quality control, which raises another question. 

After a few years in a row of having the most recalls of all car brands, why hasn’t Ford’s recall rate gotten lower? So far, for the first half of 2023, there have been 31 recalls. Ford is at a pace of seeing it match last year’s 47 recalls, landing it at the top. In this case, the top is not a good place to be.

Has the 2024 Mustang S650 had problems?

Earlier this year, a revealing article in the Detroit Free Press exposed the myriad of problems found in the early production of S650 Mustangs. The issues were misaligned body panels, electrical problems, and issues plaguing the Mustang Gen 4 Coyote 5.0-liter V8 engine, specifically the valves.  

Anyway, back to the Mustang at hand. According to The Drive, the correct seat for this Vapor Blue 2024 Mustang GT Premium Fastback is the leather one. The microsuede seat is only available in Dark Horse Mustangs. 

This Mustang wound up at Paoli Ford of Pennsylvania. It lists for a tad over $61,000. We don’t know if the publicity and rarity of this mismatch Mustang might increase the price or not. Either way, it is a great conversation piece.