- Ford issued more recalls than any other automaker for three consecutive years in 2023 and is already on track for a fourth in the U.S.
- Its half-year numbers for 2024 are higher than GM, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Volkswagen, and BMW combined
- Ford’s CEO recently revealed a plan to hold vehicles for extra quality control before shipping them to dealers
Ford has racked up more recalls in the first six months of 2024 in the U.S. than six other automakers combined, issuing 31 recalls for almost 3.7 million vehicles.
That’s according to a report from Carscoops, which said that Ford’s numbers halfway through that year were higher than those of General Motors, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Volkswagen, and BMWcombined.
Some we’ve reported on recently include older Ford pickups that can downshift on their own; some Mustangs, Expeditions, and Lincoln Navigators that can steer to the right or left by themselves; and some hybrid Ford Escapes and Mavericks, along with Lincoln Corsairs, with the chance of a fire risk.
Ford has delayed sending some of its vehicles from the factory to its dealers, as it runs them through additional quality checks — beyond what they went through in the plant — to find issues and fix them before they turn into recalls.
According to the Carscoops report, Ford and Lincoln issued 54 recalls in all of 2023, affecting more than 5.69 million vehicles. If the second half of 2024 goes the same way as the first six months, the “Blue Oval” automaker will definitely outpace that.
Going by the number of recalls, next in line to Ford’s 31 notices are the 28 issued by Stellantis, which includes such brands as Chrysler, Ram, and Jeep. Others with double-digits were Kia at 15; Mercedes-Benz with 14; General Motors at 13; Hyundai and JaguarLand Rover with 12 each; BMW with 11; and Toyota and Volkswagen at 10 apiece.
As for the number of vehicles affected, Ford was at 3,660,752. Next up was Tesla, which had only eight recalls but they covered 2,552,178 vehicles. Stellantis’ 28 recalls were for 2,247,965 models. From there, Kia recalled 1.12 million; Honda had 1.08 million affected vehicles; and Toyota had 10.1 million.
From there for comparison, we switched over to J.D. Power and looked at its 2024 Initial Quality Survey, released in June this year. It surveys people who have bought the vehicles about the issues they’ve had with them, which are then compiled into “problems per 100 vehicles,” or PP100, with a higher number meaning more issues. That includes their impressions on powertrain, driving experience, infotainment features, seats, and more. Recalls are only for safety-related issues, although that can be anything from a major item like a car that steers itself into traffic, to something minor such as an error on a warning label. Increasingly, many recalls can be fixed with over-the-air (OTA) software updates, without the need to visit a dealership for a technician to fix the problem.
That quality-versus-safety-items must be taken into account, of course, but while Ford was top of the list for recalls and recalled vehicles, it ranked a relatively high ninth among all automakers on J.D. Power’s list for initial quality. Stellantis, which was third for recalls, was broken down by J.D. Power into its brands — and Ram ranked first place for initial quality. Other nameplates didn’t do as well, though: Jeep was 19, directly below the industry average; while Dodge ranked last. Tesla wasn’t ranked among automakers because it doesn’t meet the study’s criteria — some states require an automaker’s permission before survey companies can contact its customers, and Tesla won’t allow that in any state that does — but if it had, its score of 266 PP100 would have put it one step up from last-place Dodge.
Recalls are a fact of life with vehicles, sadly. Every automaker has them, but the goal is to have as few as possible, and Ford’s numbers are extraordinary, especially since it was the most-recalled automaker for three years in a row in 2023 and it looks like it could hold onto that crown this time around too.
If your vehicle is recalled, no matter which auto company made it, an authorized dealer has to repair it at no charge. You can see if you have any outstanding recalls by visiting Transport Canada’s website, or the recall page on your auto company’s site (sometimes they’re buried within the “Owners” tab), or by calling its customer service line. You’ll need the vehicle information number (VIN), the 17-digit mash of letters and numbers that’s on your ownership or visible on the driver’s side of the dash through the windshield. If a recall applies, the automaker has to mail a notice to you, so if you move or buy a used vehicle, call the customer service number and update your address.
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