When we reported on quarterly sales at the beginning of April, we noted the Ford F-Series trucks had a 10% drop year-over-year. Now, a recent story by Automotive News states this was due to the fact that Ford Motor Co. held back about 60k 2024 F-150s to fix some Ford quality issues.
As if that wasn’t painful enough, this resulted in a 24% drop in net income, while at the same time, General Motors experienced a 24% increase.
So, what in the heck is going on, and should we be worried?
Ford quality issues
In 2023, Ford issued 56 recalls affecting more than 5 million vehicles. Therefore, Ford was the most recalled brand in 2023, and that was after two previous years of being the most recalled brand.
According to Ford CEO Jim Farley, the six-week delay in shipping of the freshened F-150 helped the company avoid 12 recalls. But it also cost the company $3 billion in revenue.
Hit with supplier parts issues and delays, the 2024 Ford F-150 started shipping to dealers in late February, early March.
Known issues?
We’ve reported extensively on the current generation’s known issues, so be sure to check out our full story. But the biggest problem centers around the 10-speed transmission and hard-shifting complaints. Recalls have included everything from sheered bolts and parking lights to wiper motors and brake harnesses.
There is no word on what the 12 recalls would have been if the 2024 F-150 had gone out any earlier.
The bottom line
While we appreciate the fact Ford is trying to avoid recalls with extended quality checks, we have to wonder what’s happening on the assembly line that makes these quality checks necessary. Ford will likely make up the sales by the end of the year, but we have to wonder what the long-term effect of recalls, quality issues and delivery delays will be on the brand.
Will die-hard Ford fans take it all in stride, or will it push them to consider trucks from GM or Ram? What do you think? Comment below.
