<\/p>\n
Ford is well aware of its quality control issues, but the company can’t seem to do much to fix them. On Friday, Ford was forced to issue a recall for over a million Ford F-150s, its most popular model, due to a dangerous issue that puts everyone on the road at risk. <\/p>\n
This week, the NHTSA issued a recall for nearly 1.4 million model-year 2015-2017 Ford F-150s over the risk of a sudden gear-downshift that could cause drivers to lose control of their 3-ton vehicles. <\/p>\n
I’ve been covering Ford and other Detroit automakers for some time now, and the issue that keeps popping up with Ford is quality control. The data bear this out.<\/p>\n
Over the last 365 days, Ford has issued 143 recalls, accounting for 33% of all recalls issued over that period, according to the National Highway Traffic Administration. <\/p>\n
Between January 2024 and mid-2025,\u00a0Ford initiated\u00a094 recalls affecting nearly 6 million vehicles, Indy Auto Man noted. By July, Ford had\u00a0issued its 89th recall of 2025, easily surpassing\u00a0GM\u2019s 2014 record of 78 recalls for the entire\u00a0year.<\/p>\n
The issue has been so bad that the company addressed quality control issues during its third-quarter\u00a0earnings call.<\/p>\n
COO Kumar Galhotra opened his comments on the call.<\/p>\n
\u201cImproving quality is the single biggest driver to close our cost gap. Better quality
lowers warranty expense and reduces recalls,\u201d Galhotra said. He also admitted it would take time for the company’s quality improvements to show up in its stats. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou need time to clear the car park of old issues. It all starts with a clean launch. A bad launch creates years of warranty and recall problems. Over the past two years, we have radically improved our launch quality,\u201d Galhotra said.<\/p>\n
Ford forced to recall F-150 after NHTSA probe<\/p>\n
Last March, investigators at the\u00a0National Highway Traffic Safety Administrationopened a preliminary evaluation\u00a0into 2015-2017 model year Ford F-150 pickup trucks after 138 customers complained about an issue with the truck\u2019s gearbox.<\/p>\n
This week, Ford and the NHTSA took action. <\/p>\n
According to the recall, a loss of signal between the transmission range sensor and the powertrain control module can cause the vehicle’s transmission to unexpectedly downshift into second gear without driver input. <\/p>\n
Related: Popular Ford pickup faces expanded NHTSA probe over dangerous issue<\/p>\n
To fix the issue, dealers will update the powertrain control module software. Letters notifying owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed on April 27, and additional letters will be sent once a final remedy is available, anticipated in July.<\/p>\n
There are warning signs that your truck is defective. In some cases, “a driver may notice an illuminated malfunction indicator light or wrench light in the instrument cluster,” according to the NHTSA. <\/p>\n
Affected owners should contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 to check the status of their vehicles. Ford’s number for this recall is 26S28. You can also use your VIN number to search the NHTSA website to see if your car is affected by the recall. <\/p>\n
Ford reviewed plant records to determine that the affected trucks were built between March 2014 and August 2017.<\/p>\n
During the investigation, Ford drivers reported that their F-150s unexpectedly downshifted to lower gears while traveling at highway speeds, followed by rapid deceleration, without the driver touching anything or the vehicle displaying any warning, according to the complaints.<\/p>\n
Complainants had similar stories about their vehicles. Their cars would rapidly decelerate without warning, and the rear wheel would either lock up, seize, or skid temporarily, causing loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truck automatically shifted from 6th Gear to first gear, nearly throwing me through the windshield\u201d while traveling 70 miles per hour on the highway, one complaint read.<\/p>\n
The NHTSA confirmed a safety issue with 2015-2017 model year Ford F-150 pickup trucks.<\/p>\n
Photo by Bill Pugliano on Getty Images<\/p>\n
Ford promises recall troubles are in the past<\/p>\n
Ford has addressed its quality issues multiple times in recent quarters during their earnings calls.<\/p>\n
CFO Kumar Galhotra identified four areas of focus for the company:<\/p>\n
Seamless launch executionMinimal defectsGreater reliabilityTime<\/p>\n
Ford says it is already making progress and is \u201con track\u201d for best-in-class performance across six of its nameplates, with three other nameplates in the top quartile,\u00a0according to J.D. Power\u00a0warranty analytics data.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need time to clear the car park of old issues. It all starts with a clean launch. A bad launch creates years of warranty and recall problems. Over the past two years, we have radically improved our launch quality,\u201d Galhorta said.<\/p>\n
The company also reported lower year-over-year third-quarter warranty costs, down $450 million.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Ford spent $4.8 billion fixing customer vehicles, a 15% increase from the previous year. It set aside $1,203 for warranty repairs on each car it sold that year,\u00a0according to Warranty Week.<\/p>\n
A recent study by iSeeCars.com,\u00a0analyzing 31 years of recall history, found that Ford is the least proactive car brand when it comes to issuing recalls. Fewer than 30% of the cars recalled over the last three decades were due to a problem Ford found on its own.<\/p>\n
To remedy this problem, Ford in 2024 initiated a new quality assurance program that incorporates \u201ctesting vehicles to failure,\u201d running them \u201cat extremely high mileage\u201d to find potential problems before customers do.<\/p>\n
At the time,\u00a0CEO Jim Farley said\u00a0the new approach would \u201creduce warranty (costs) over time.\u201d <\/p>\n
Related: Ford Motor adds to record it is embarrassed to hold<\/p>\n
#Ford #issues #massive #recall #popular #model<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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