Ford Outlines New Software Update Strategy With Dealers

Over the past couple of years, various quality issues have plagued Ford to the point where it has taken several steps to rectify them. Along with appointing a new head of quality recently to oversee this process, The Blue Oval has changed up its production processes and implemented quality checks before delivering refreshed or redesigned vehicles. All of these moves are aimed at reducing sky-high warranty costs and cutting down on recalls, many of which stem from software issues – and more recently, improperly applied software updates that have prompted recalls for those recalls. Thus, Ford has a new strategy to fix that problem, too.

Back in January, Ford began rolling out a new enhanced software validation process at its dealerships, which is aimed at helping technicians ensure that the correct software is present in a vehicle. As the automaker points out, sometimes, multiple software updates must be installed on vehicles that come in for service in some cases, which is necessary to ensure that the most current version is present. If not, it can cause problems for techs trying to fix issues or complete recall repairs.

This new process is designed to ensure that dealer techs have clear confirmation that a vehicle has the most up to date and correct software installed across every module. At the same time, Ford is conducting an audit of its earlier recalls that included software updates as part of the prescribed remedy, which is precisely why we’ve been seeing so many “recalls of recalls” as of late. To date, Ford has issued 18 recalls to ensure that this process has been completed properly, though it notes that most have been.

Though Ford CEO Jim Farley previously noted that the automaker’s initial quality has improved over the past year or so, many of these issues – particularly those pertaining to software – date back to the 2021 model year. These issues continue to saddle The Blue Oval with high warranty costs, years after those vehicles were built, not to mention resulting in a civil penalty of $165 million from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over various rearview camera woes just this past November.