As A Result Of This Year's Recall Series, Ford Loses More Than IDR 4 Trillion

Ford Explorer 2023. (Doc. Ford Motor Company)

JAKARTA - The quality of vehicles is currently the main focus for manufacturers like Ford. The reason is, this US manufacturer is listed as one of the brands that most often recall vehicles this year.

Furthermore, Ford is now faced with problems involving mirror damage to some of its models, which are increasingly weighing on the company's finances.

According to a report from Automotive News, Friday, September 1, Ford spent around USD 270 million, equivalent to IDR 4.1 trillion, to address issues involving 422,000 of their vehicles.

The models affected by this problem include Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator in 2022-23, Lincoln Corsair in 2020-22, Ford Transit in 2022-23, Lincoln Navigator in 2018-21, and Ford Bronco in 2021.

Ford plans to address this issue by replacing rear view cameras and updating software and cables if needed. However, this recall is only one of a number of cases Ford has to deal with.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Ford has carried out 42 recall processes during this year, involving a total of 4.6 million affected vehicles. This is the highest number compared to other car manufacturers.

The biggest recall case was on the Ford F-150, which involved nearly 900.000 units at the end of last July, due to problems in the rear axis.

Previously, Ford also faced problems with their latest model, Ford Bronco. In May, more than 175.000 units of the vehicle had to be recalled due to design defect problems in seat belts.

The report states that this design issue can discourage passengers from wearing seat belts, which can result in injury or even death.

Most recently, Ford is also facing a lawsuit related to alleged defects in its vehicles that could cause thousands of units to risk fire and potentially take lives. Models such as Ford Escape and Maverick with a 2.5 liter Duratec Atkinson 4-cylinder engine had to be recalled due to the problem.

Ford CEO Jim Farley has previously promised to improve the quality of the company's vehicles. However, it will take time, even over the next few years.