Ford has put out an astounding 89 recalls this year. It is July 18 as of publishing. That is, in case you hadn’t guessed, quite a lot of recalls. According to NHTSA data, that’s the most recalls any manufacturer has issued in a year, and it is (again) July. Other automakers aren’t even close, either. Stellantis has issued 18. Volkswagen has put out 17 recalls, and GM and Honda have issued just 15 and 14, respectively. The number of recalls issued by Ford vastly surpasses the previous record of 77, held by GM since 2014.
Ford Leads In Recalls By A Country Mile
Ford issued a statement to Automotive News, saying the company is taking a “proactive” approach to recalls as it works to remedy quality control issues. “The increase in recalls reflects our intensive strategy to quickly find and fix any hardware and software issues and go the extra mile to protect customers,” the spokesperson said.
“Ford has more than doubled its team of safety and technical experts in the past two years and significantly increased testing to failure on critical systems such as powertrains, steering, and braking.”
The company also pointed out that the recalls issued this year also contain expansions of previous recalls. 33 of the recalls are related to software issues that Ford has doubled back on thanks to its own internal audits.
Ford Says It Is Being Proactive In Its Recalls
“We can and do find issues that exist on earlier model years, including ones that have not been reported. We will not compromise our responsibility to provide the same standard of excellence to all our customers, not just those buying new vehicles,” said Ford.
The company hopes some of its AI-powered software systems will help it catch defects ahead of time, but it will also be relying on the new hires mentioned in its statement to help. The company hopes the changes will lead to systemic and lasting positive change and help us reach world-class levels for quality, safety, and customer satisfaction. Ford’s most recent recall, addressing a fuel pump defect in more than 800,000 of its most popular models, will cost the company around half a billion dollars.
TopSpeed’s Take
It’s important to keep in mind that many of these recalls are Ford’s attempt to fix things. The automaker admits it has a quality control problem, and hopefully, the deluge of recalls will at some point cease. Until then, it’s worth frequently checking your Ford year and model against the NHTSA’s website for further information on any recalls your vehicle may be subject to.
Source: Automotive News
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