Curbing warranty costs by improving quality was one major area that Ford CEO Jim Farley said he would focus on after taking over the helm of the automaker back in October of 2020, and it’s also a focus point in the company’s recently announced reorganization plan, but results remain a bit mixed. Ford ranked above average in J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. Vehicle Satisfaction Study, but both Ford and Lincoln came in below the mass market and luxury segment averages in Consumer Reports‘ most recent reliability study. Now, in an effort to shore up a number of recent Ford quality issues, the automaker has hired quality turnaround specialist and former J.D. Power Vice President Josh Halliburton as its new executive director of quality, according to the Detroit Free Press.
“I was brought in to help lead massive improvements in our quality level,” Halliburton said. “We’ve got a history of – we spent a lot of time figuring out who to blame. So, is it a supplier issue? Is it a manufacturing issue? Is it a design issue? … I no longer care who caused the issue. It’s not important in my metrics and not important in how I look at quality. What I’ve told the team is that they are all responsible for the same target, whether you’re a supplier quality person, whether you’re a product development person or whether you’re a manufacturing person.”
Ford – which has long endured a culture of “finger pointing” rather than identifying and fixing problems – will undergo a few changes in that regard, according to Halliburton, starting with a requirement that employees work together to attack Ford quality issues. “So they all succeed or they all fail together,” he said. “That’s really important because it speeds the time to start working on the issue … they can’t point fingers at each other. They’re on the same team.”
The quality issues Ford has faced in recent years won’t be a quick fix, Halliburton admits, particularly as the automaker has issued a large number of recalls over the past few months. But he remains committed to overhauling the culture at Ford in that regard. “If you look back in time, Ford knows how to do quality well. And it became complacent,” Halliburton said. “I think when I came in, there was already acknowledgement that quality needed to be improved. I would say there was a good framework that had been laid in the past, roughly six to nine months prior to me joining.”
In addition to monitoring social media for potential problems owners are experiencing with their vehicles, Ford is also working on a process where it will video record vehicle assembly during a model’s early launch stages to ensure everything is going smoothly, and the automaker has also added extra steps in the vehicle inspection process before each leaves the factory.
“When you work with companies on fixing quality, it’s often an uphill battle,” Halliburton said. “If the whole company isn’t aligned, it’s really inefficient and it’s a struggle to get momentum. Here, I see the momentum’s in place. It’s now harnessing that momentum to guide it down the right path.”
We’ll have more on Ford’s efforts to improve quality soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comments
LOL I have had two Aviators bought back, both a 21 and a 22. My 22’s interior grab handles weren’t even screwed in and the sunroof weatherstripping was literally popped up above the roof. The chrome around the windows wasn’t glued on properly and I have gone through 2 SYNC screens. Besides the screens these are obvious quality control steps no one took.
One guy is not going to solve Ford’s quality ( and recall ) problems. They need to replace the whole management structure to one that is more committed to quality. He is going to run into a brick wall, then see how long he lasts. I bet within a year he is gone due to frustration trying to do his job.
Ford also needs to fix the dealership issues. Try taking an $80,000 f150 in for warranty work and they consistently treat you like you interrupted their break, once you convince them of an issue the reply is leave it here and we MAY start on it next Thursday. When you ask can I bring it in next Thursday they decline. It’s clearly designed to refuse warranty work. It’s been this way at Dallas dealers since the 80s. If Lexus made a pickup I would buy one. Lexus has both quality and the dealer experience figured out. And you get a better experience at Lexus for a $45,000 sedan or SUV.
Agree
Quality is everyone’s responsibility. All the focus on new technology, on an EV shift, and on an AV future forgot one basic truth… there is no future without quality. And the cost problems stemmed from quality problems. And the abandonment of sedans stemmed from so-called profit issues… which were really based on poor quality cost issues and related prices/value pressures.
Best of luck Josh. Essentially, you have to change an entire culture. That is one of the most difficult tasks anyone can assume. We’re all creatures of habit.
21-22s are pandemic specials. Reminds me of the 70s. Inflation, auto worker strikes, terrible build quality. Coke bottles in doors of cars. Cracked head and block castings etc., Worst time in American car manufacturing.
If the total warranty cost is less than the cost to fix the issue then the issue will not be fixed & that is how Ford operates. It’s all about profit and nothing else. Also, Ford is good at inventing new slogans to fool the general public. Remember that slogan from 80-90’s :”Ford quality is job 1″ etc. Stop wasting your time and money buying a Ford vehicle. For peace of mind buy any Toyota or Honda and save yourself the expense of repair bills and the headache of wasting time at repair shops.
Ford has been making terrible vehicles since I have been living. I use to like Ford but it gives me anxiety thinking about purchasing one. My father was a loyal Ford guy for well over 60 years. In his late 60’s, he said, (F) Ford. After purchasing many Fords and constantly having to get them repaired, he left and went to another brand and is much more happier and less stressed about his decision. Following his decision, two of nephews decided to ditch Ford to also switch to other brands. I think the only Ford vehicle in my family that did not have many problems was my sisters Ford Escort ZX2 which was a base vehicle with a manual. It survived many years without any issues until she was involved in an accident.
the latest iteration of Quality = Job 1, too many engrained fiefdoms and chimneys…the culture is what it is and always has been.
I was a loyal Ford buyer in the 80’s and early 90’s. Got 2 F-150’s back to back lemons and went to Toyota in 1994. Stayed with Toyota until 2002 baught the wife a Buick and myself a Silverado in 2004. They were both awesome no issues and The Buick made it to 180k miles and we decided in 2016 to try out Ford again. I found her a 2015 Fusion SE she liked because it looked sporty. At 22k miles it left us stranded. Ford towed it in and found it had a cracked cylinder head in 3 places. Engine never over heated it was from the forge like that. 3rd party did the heads that year so it made it past the 3rd party quality control and Ford’s. At 38k the radio broke could no longer connect cell phones or flash drives. Part was like $600 so we did without. AT 50k miles it started misfiring on cylinder 3. I did everything I could think of. Computer said coil misfire so I replaced all 4 coils, nope, replaced injectors, nope, and replaced spark plugs, nope. PCM checked out ok so I through my hands up and traded it for a 2020 Toyota Camry SE. OI told the salesman it had a random misfire I could not figure out. He said they could put it in their Ford dealership. I asked him later on what it was he said they figured it out got it fixed, but he never heard what it was. All I know is this Ford will not get my money again ever. Only reason we did not go back to GM is after 2005 their quality went to crap as well. I am not risking it ever again especially with how complicated these engines are now. Lexus/Toyota/Mazda, and Honda are the only brands I am going to bother with. These domestic companies do not deserve loyalty and they sure do not stand behind what they design and make. Also there is more American in some of these Japanese vehicles than Ford and GM and assembled in the USA. Only Ford I will own again is a pre-1995 classic….