The highest brass at Ford Motor Co. has been saying the identical factor for over a 12 months: The corporate is nicely on its approach to fixing its high quality points.
In 2023, Ford spent $4.8 billion fixing buyer automobiles, a 15% improve from the earlier 12 months. It put aside $1,203 for guarantee repairs on every automotive it bought that 12 months, in keeping with Guarantee Week.
Ford’s complete U.S. gross sales by 12 months:
- 2024: 2.08 million automobiles bought, +4.2%
- 2023: 1.99 million automobiles bought, +7.1%
- 2022: 1.77 million automobiles bought, -2.2%
- 2021: 1.9 million automobiles bought, -6.8%
A current research by iSeeCars.com analyzing 31 years of recall historical past discovered that Ford is the least proactive automotive model with regards to issuing a recall. Fewer than 30% of the automobiles recalled during the last three many years resulted from an issue Ford discovered by itself.
To treatment this downside, in 2024, Ford initiated a brand new high quality assurance program that includes “testing vehicles to failure,” operating them “at extremely high mileage” to be able to discover potential issues earlier than prospects do.
On the time, CEO Jim Farley stated the brand new strategy would “reduce warranty (costs) over time,” however over a 12 months later, time could also be operating out for the corporate to get the difficulty underneath management.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has promised to scale back guarantee and recall prices, that are costing the corporate billions of {dollars} yearly.
Picture supply: Ed Jones/AFP through Getty Photographs
Ford points one other pair of remembers, regardless of concentrate on high quality
Between January 2024 and mid-2025, Ford initiated 94 remembers affecting practically 6 million automobiles. By July, Ford hadissued its 89th recall of 2025, simply surpassing GM’s 2014 file of 78 remembers for the whole 12 months.
Ford has now issued over 100 remembers in 2025, with greater than two months left within the 12 months.
Now it has added two extra remembers to the tally.
Ford is recalling 79,781 automobiles within the U.S. which can be liable to having their inside panels close to the entrance door detach and their hind lights cease working.
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NHTSA stated on Oct. 31 that the recall consists of 14,843 F-150 Lightning BEV pickup vans for the rear lightbar subject and 64,938 Ford Flex automobiles for the door panel defect.
Individually, the Blue Oval can also be recalling 34,481 models of its remanufactured 10R80 automated transmissions, which have been used as service restore components for some Ford and Lincoln automobiles.
Ford additionally recalled 227,006 automobiles within the U.S. for various points.
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The remembers cowl 163,256 Bronco SUVs for entrance seats that will have free bolts, and 56,841 Lincoln and Explorer automobiles as a consequence of windshields with seen air bubbles.
On Oct. 29, it recalled 175,000 automobiles, together with moonroofs and wind deflectors on its Expedition and Navigator, in addition to F-series pickups, that would detach.
Ford says it is fixing recall and high quality points
Ford is conscious of its quality-control points, and CFO Kumar Galhotra opened his feedback on the corporate’s third-quarter earnings name, addressing the difficulty.
“Improving quality is the single biggest driver to close our cost gap. Better quality
lowers warranty expense and reduces recalls,” Galhotra stated.
He recognized 4 areas of focus for the corporate:
- Seamless launch execution
- Minimal defects
- Better reliability
- Time
Ford says it’s already making progress and is “on track” for best-in-class efficiency throughout six of its nameplates, with three different nameplates within the prime quartile, in keeping with J.D. Energy guarantee analytics knowledge.
The corporate additionally reported decrease year-over-year third-quarter guarantee prices, down $450 million.
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