- Ford CEO Jim Farley said in an interview that the automaker is not “satisfied” with quality improvements.
- He said the Dearborn-based automaker has “a lot of work left to do.”
- Ford has issued 56 recalls for 12.1 million vehicles so far this year.
Ford has taken the top spot in J.D. Power’s latest initial quality study for mainstream brands. But it also leads the industry in terms of recalls this year, with 56 vehicles issued so far this year for a total of 12.1 million vehicles. This means there is still work to do.
in an interview with cnbcJim Farley, CEO of Ford Motor Company, said that although he was “very proud” of its initial quality results, he added that “Obviously none of us are satisfied. We have a lot left to do to become the number one quality brand across all specialties.”
Since 2023, Farley has worked to improve quality by implementing more rigorous development testing, hiring more technical experts, and encouraging greater collaboration. In 2024, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fined Ford for failing to issue a proper recall.
The federal agency said the automaker must pay $65 million upfront, with a $55 million fine deferred. NHTSA will allow Ford to use the remaining $45 million to meet its performance obligations. The consent also required Ford to review the past three years of recalls “to ensure they have been filed appropriately, and if necessary, file new recalls.”
Farley said cnbc That the automaker will continue to work on reducing the number of recalls and warranty costs.
Current status of Ford recalls
So far in 2026, Ford has issued 56 recalls for 12.1 million vehicles, leading the industry. The automaker is on track to issue fewer recalls than last year, which was a record, but those recalls affect a much larger number of cars.
In recent years, Ford has consistently led its competitors in terms of recalls. In 2025, it issued 153 recalls for about 13 million cars. It issued the second-highest number of recalls in 2024 behind Stellantis’ 72, but issued more recalls than any other automaker in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
The multiple recalls have cost Ford billions of dollars in warranty costs, with the automaker facing a $4.8 billion loss through 2023 — the most on record. Those costs have since been declining.
Motor1’s Opinion: Ford understands that fixing its quality problems will take time and will take years of deliberate improvements and changes. Topping JD’s inaugural quality study is a good first start, but the automaker will have to do more than that to turn around consumer sentiment.
