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2026 Honda Ridgeline ReviewFord Delays Vehicles to Correct Poor Quality Control
Ford plans to delay upcoming vehicles and enact further quality control to prevent further recalls.
One of the Most Recalled Car Brands Lately
Ford has not had a good track record in recent years when it comes to recalling vehicles. Ford had 68 recalls in 2022 that affected over 8.5 million vehicles, 54 recalls in 2023 that affected over 5.5 million vehicles, and just in the first part of 2024 Ford had issued 28 recalls that affected over 3 million vehicles. Those statistics have made Ford the most recalled major car brand year over year.
It’s one thing for these recalls to be minor fixes on older models, but a lot of Fords issues have been on some of their latest models. For instance, the 2024 Ford Mustang was just recalled a couple weeks ago for having a faulty clutch pressure line that could melt, leak brake fluid, and cause a fire. It’s not a good look for such a prominent American car brand like Ford, but the company aims to turn their quality issues around.
Ford Higher-Ups Delay Upcoming Vehicles
Ford CEO Jim Farley hasn’t ignored these quality issues that have plagued his company’s vehicles. He has come out and explained that these extensive recalls have cost Ford over $4.8 billion annually. To correct this lingering quality issue, Farley has made the decision to delay upcoming models through a new “build and hold” production strategy. Ford now holds new or refreshed models for an additional six weeks after being built and puts the models through a more extensive series of quality control checks.
This process has already been utilized on models like the 2024 Ford F-150 and has pinpointed and corrected potential recallable issues prior to reaching the dealership lots. The “build and hold” process will push some upcoming release dates back and impact immediate profits for Ford but should be worth it in the long term by preventing future nationwide recall fixes. Currently, the upcoming vehicles that will be pushed back due to this new process include the refreshed 2025 Ford Explorer, 2025 Ford Bronco Sport, and 2025 Ford Maverick.
