Ford Recalls 1 Million Cars! Here's Why.

Issue #119

Happy Saturday!

Did you ever consider Ford a reliable brand? Things have changed the American giant is struggling.

Market News

• The Toyota GR Corolla has a new home, which could be good news for the US.

• The Jeep Cherokee is back, looking nothing like we expected. Do you like it?

• We're glad that the Dodge Durango keeps a critical trim level alive. 

• Alfa Romeo could delay the production of its most important car.

• The GMC Sierra EV continues to impress with its range, beating out the competition.

• The Corvette ZR1 just became much more exclusive.

• RIP: the manual Nissan Versa is no more. Here's why.

• Here's where we should put EV chargers.

• Volvo pauses production on this SUV due to a shortage of parts.

• GM backpedals on EVs and invests in this engine.

Safety and Recalls

• Nissan recalls 79,000 of its newer models over this issue.

• 200,000 RAM models are recalled because of this issue.

Car Culture

• The Honda NSX is officially a $1 million car.

• The Grand Tour might have found its new hosts. 

• Ever wanted to slide on the hood of a police car? Here's how much damage it causes.

• Here are the 33 best muscle cars of all time. Do you agree?

• GM filed for a very interesting patent, but does it mean anything?

• Here's how much Jaguar sales dropped from last year. It's baffling.

• Hertz is selling Maserattis for VW prices. Here's how to get one.

• This Japanese Hummer is for sale, and you can have it (for a hefty price).

• The war against car screens has intensified.

• Is this the best Japanese sports car ever? Chances are you haven't heard of it, ever.

Video Of The Week

We got our hands on this Slate truck review, and it's interesting, to say the least.

Power On The Go

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Yes, that’s an affiliate link. No, it doesn’t cost you anything extra. But every click helps support this newsletter and keeps the content coming. Win-win.

In The Know

Ford is in big trouble–one million recalled cars!

In late 2024, Ford Motor Company wanted to prove to the world that it would become a reliable brand, and it had a tough hill to climb. Past years have been challenging, and the company found itself among the most-recalled brands in the US. 

So, in December 2024, it changed its head of quality and looked for a new candidate.  Here's more on how Ford replaced the head of quality. 

The new candidate couldn't claim ignorance. The message was clear: fix the issues, reduce recalls, and stop bleeding money on repairs. 

The plan didn't work. If anything, things have gotten worse for the Blue Oval.

Yesterday, Ford announced a massive recall affecting 1.1 million vehicles across the US, all tied to a recurring issue with rearview cameras. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been well acquainted with Ford, as this is the company's fifth recall involving rear cameras since 2021. You can read more about this recall in detail here. 

In short, the problem centers on rearview cameras going blank or displaying distorted images. While the problem seems harmless on the surface, it could be extremely dangerous. Imagine reversing without a camera and a child walking behind the vehicle, especially a larger one, such as the F-150. 

As this list highlights, most of the vehicles aren't necessarily compact. 

A massive recall such as this one would be concerning enough, but it's only a part of a bigger problem. In 2025, Ford has had 40 recalls; while some only included one or two vehicles, 18 of those recalls involved 10,000 or more units. That's more than any other automaker this year—again. 

Just this past March, Ford had one of its roughest days. It issues four recalls for five different models in one day. 

The list involved over 870,000 vehicles, from the F-150 to the Bronco and even Lincoln models, due to issues ranging from parking lights to seat belts; you can read more about this sour day here.

What's going on here? The root of the problem may trace back years to when Ford began aggressively slashing costs in its vehicle development process.

The goal was to boost margins and stay competitive in a brutal global market. As this article explains, Ford has consistently promised meaningful changes in both cost and quality. 

The problem is that it rarely delivers. 

In the end, it was the most unreliable manufacturer in the US in 2021, so this problem isn't new. 

It has been expensive. This article explains how the company has had to shave its profit projections because of quality issues. 

Ford's CEO, Jim Farley, has publicly acknowledged that the company's quality isn't where it needs to be. In 2023, he admitted that warranty costs had ballooned to $4 billion annually, far higher than rivals like Toyota or Honda, as you can read here. 

Replacing the head of quality was supposed to change that. So far, the only thing that's changed is the recall count.

That's not the only challenge the company faces. The trade war has impacted the company directly, as it has had to pause production of the Explorer SUV over tiny but critical magnets. You can read more about it here. 

To Ford's credit, it isn't ignoring the issue. It's trying to improve many processes, including quality and the supply chain. 

Having so many quality issues and being on top of the recall leaderboard is hard. But it's even harder to regain trust, and I don't know if Ford can do it. 

Do you consider Ford reliable, or has it lost its way? Let us know with a comment.