For The Third Year, Ford Has Set The Nation’s Vehicle Recall Record

In the dubious awards of the year category, the Ford Motor Co. has done it again. Although many of its vehicles have won their share of awards – KBB’s “Best Buy” awards for most of its truck models and an honor from Consumer Reports for its compact pickup, the Maverick, you had to know there was something else coming down the interstate and running into the Blue Oval just before what should be the happiest time of the year.

Ford Does It Again

As reported by the Ford Authority, quoting Automotive News, Ford has done it again. Ford has garnered the dubious distinction award of 2023 as it did last year and the year before. For the third year, the automaker has led the industry in recalls.

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It started in 2021 “when the Blue Oval took the ‘crown’ of having been the most recalled manufacturer in the U.S., and continued into 2022, as well as the first half of 2023.”

You might have thought that the automaker would dig itself out of the hole for the second half of 2023, but Ford didn’t. Or, as the Ford Authority (FA) noted this week, things “didn’t change in the second half of the year, and the automaker has once again taken the not-so-desirable title of being the most recalled manufacturer of 2023, as well.” This data was gleaned from the government’s keeper of recall data, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

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Here is what the statistical info looks like. Through this point in the year, “Ford has issued 54 recalls.” This number of recalls “accounts for 16 percent of the overall market and covers 5,692,135 vehicles,” FA notes.

Chrysler In Second Place

The second-place automaker on the list was Chrysler, followed by Forest River and others. To put it into perspective, here is a list of the top finishers in the recall race:

• Ford – 54
• Chrysler – 45
• Forest River – 37
• BMW – 29
• Mercedes-Benz – 27
• General Motors – 22
• Nissan – 22
• Daimler Trucks – 21
• Kia – 20
• Honda – 19
• Jaguar – 19
• Volkswagen – 19

FA noted that the number of recalls that Ford issued, while it did lead the industry, is still way down from last year. In 2022, Ford had 68 recalls that affected nearly 9 million vehicles. In total, Ford recalled about 21 percent fewer vehicles than last year. This year, General Motors was the manufacturer with the largest number of affected vehicles.

Ford's spokesman, Maria Buczkowski noted that the automaker is “constantly working to improve vehicle quality and deliver the best experience for our customers.”

Ford Recalls Were Voluntary

She continued those voluntary recalls – admittedly, Ford’s recalls were all voluntary, and the automaker did publicize them – “are one of the ways we proactively protect customers from experiencing an issue. Our initial quality is improving, and customers with our latest vehicles benefit from it.”

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FA noted that the automaker “has been keen to admit that it has made some mistakes over the years that led to this growth in quality issues and recalls, but it also has a comprehensive plan on how to rectify the issue, including shutting down production when a problem is discovered, though such moves have proven costly thus far.”

No 'Best-in-Quality' Targets

Ford hasn’t set any “best-in-quality targets for a number of its models,” FA continued, though Ford is expected to reach that point by 2025.”

Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971. His automotive articles have appeared in venues including Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. You can follow Marc on Twitter or Facebook.