The mainstream media, ever smitten with CEOs, still refers to Ford Motor Co. as an auto manufacturer. While it’s true Ford assembles vehicles from supplier parts, under CEO Jim Farley it has effectively morphed into the world’s leading auto repair outfit.
Think I’m exaggerating? Let me walk you through the numbers.
With four months left in the year, Ford has already smashed automotive safety recall records—at least 109 campaigns so far, and that number will almost certainly climb. The previous annual record was GM’s 77 recalls in 2014, when faulty ignition switches killed nearly 100 people and injured hundreds more.
Ford has issued more safety recalls this year than all other U.S. automakers combined.
Put another way: Ford has recalled more vehicles in 2025 than it sells globally in an entire year. The company moves roughly 4.5 million vehicles annually worldwide; in 2025, it has already recalled nearly 8 million.
And these aren’t minor inconveniences. One recall covered 355,000 F-Series trucks with instrument panels that can suddenly go dark, leaving drivers blind to their speed, fuel levels, and warnings. Another involved 300,000-plus Broncos, Rangers, Explorers, and Navigators for brake booster failures that compromise stopping power. Ford has also recalled its latest Mustangs, 2025 Explorers, and even its workhorse V6 engines for rod bearing defects.
The humble Model T, introduced in 1908, was arguably more durable and trustworthy in its day than the poorly engineered, recall-prone vehicles Ford sells now. Founder Henry Ford must be rolling in his grave.
Shortage of Mechanics
When Ford issues a recall, customers can’t simply drive to their dealer and get a fix. Sometimes the required parts aren’t available; sometimes Ford hasn’t even developed a repair solution yet. And then there’s the mechanic shortage.
The U.S. is facing a major shortage of auto technicians. Recruitment is hard; retention is harder. Younger workers cycle through jobs at triple the rate of boomers, and Gen Z isn’t clamoring for careers that require dirty hands and showing up at their places of employment. A coding job is still perceived sexier than wrenching in a Silicon Valley Ford service bay, even though AI is already decimating software work while today’s cars are essentially computers on wheels.
Underscoring this crisis, Ford Philanthropy and the company’s dealers now offer $5,000 scholarships to students pursuing auto or diesel careers, covering tuition, tools, and even living expenses. It’s a noble gesture, but also a tacit admission: Ford doesn’t have the people to fix the growing mess it’s fast creating.
Practically speaking, Ford customers can wait weeks—even months—to get their vehicles roadworthy. Recall repairs can take hours or days. Dealers often prefer simple jobs like oil changes because warranty work pays less. Automakers reimburse at fixed rates lower than retail labor. Some dealers bill $100 to replace a cabin filter—something even I could manage despite flunking junior high shop—while doing Ford’s warranty work often requires considerable time and effort.
Trade press, consumer forums, and even Ford dealer memos document these delays. Here’s a taste: a year-old Bronco forum post (before the current recall avalanche) from an angry customer in Arizona.
The accompanying video featuring a North Carolina farmer raging about Ford is noteworthy for the guy’s anger and passion. I wouldn’t want to be Ford’s Farley if he ever crossed paths with that farmer in a dark alley.
Failing Farley
Farley has raked in more than $100 million in compensation since becoming CEO five years ago. He’s repeatedly promised to improve quality. Yet the problems have only worsened on his watch. Some of the most alarming recalls involve 2024–2025 models, and one recall for 100,900 Ford Rangers with defective side curtain airbags even includes the 2026 model year.
Ford’s quality failures mostly aren’t the fault of UAW workers or line workers in Mexico, where the company proudly assembles its EV Mustangs, Ford Maverick pickups, and Bronco Sport SUVs. The bigger culprit is design and engineering. Ford gutted its U.S. engineering ranks years ago, axing veteran talent and shifting work overseas, particularly to Mexico, where the company now boasts the largest engineering complex in Latin America.
Consumers have taken notice. In the Axios Harris 2025 survey of most respected brands, Ford ranked 60th, behind GM at 44 and Toyota at 4. But here’s the paradox: the diminished reputation isn’t denting sales.
Ford’s August 2025 sales rose 3.9% to 190,206 units. The all-new Expedition surged 54% year-over-year—despite being recalled for defects that can cause engine stalls and parking system failures.
Americans Embrace Mediocrity
What does this prove? That Americans will tolerate, and even embrace, shoddy quality and design. GM knows this too. The company issues plenty of “service bulletins” and “customer satisfaction” notices—fixes that avoid triggering formal recalls. While the media adores GM CEO Mary Barra, buyers of her premium trucks and SUVs outfitted with V8 engines in danger of possibly failing are singing a more hostile tune.
As I recently noted, Ford still pays the Ford family juicy dividends it can’t afford, while GM has funneled $25 billion into stock buybacks over the past three years to boost its under performing stock.
At least one GM authority doesn’t seem confident about the company’s long-term prospects: Mary Barra. Late last month she dumped 40% of her GM stock, netting $22 million. Just a year earlier she sold three tranches, pocketing $84 million.
Good luck to any investor buying stock in a company whose CEO spends tens of billions in stock buybacks to boost the price and then cashes out.