Ford CEO Farley says quality turnaround is taking hold after J.D. Power initial-quality win

According to CNBC, Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley said the automaker’s quality turnaround is gaining traction after the Ford brand was named the top mass-market brand in the U.S. in J.D. Power’s initial quality ranking, the first time since 2010. Ford has issued 53 recalls covering more than 12 million vehicles so far this year after an industry record of 153 recalls covering 13 million vehicles in 2025, and this week added to its 2026 total with a recall of 741,195 SUVs and F-150 pickup trucks from the 2018 to 2021 model years. Ford said it reduced warranty and materials costs by $1.5 billion in 2025, adjusted for volume and mix, and is targeting additional reductions in 2026 after warranty costs hit $4.8 billion in 2023; Barclays analyst Dan Levy said in a May 15 note that Ford appears to have “turned the corner,” citing four consecutive quarters of year-over-year warranty benefits. After the J.D. Power news on June 25, Ford shares rose 2%, its second-best trading day of the month; Ford ranked third overall behind Porsche and Hyundai’s Genesis and ahead of Toyota’s Lexus. Farley said Ford has hired 350 technical specialists since 2023, revamped processes and supplier collaboration, and tied executive compensation more closely to quality metrics, while declining to predict when Ford will no longer lead U.S. recalls.