06:32 05-12-2025

Ford's Owner Retention Certificate: discreet discounts after recall woes

After more than 100 vehicle recalls in a year, Ford has introduced the Owner Retention Certificate program. Designed for customers who have faced repeated faults and lost confidence in the brand, the initiative keeps a low profile: it isn’t advertised publicly, and access is granted at a dealer’s discretion. The quiet rollout reads as a pragmatic attempt to mend relationships before shoppers walk away.

The offer provides a discount equal to 10% of the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the vehicle the customer currently owns. The credit is capped at $6,000 when purchasing a new Ford and at $10,000 for Lincoln models. Some vehicles, including the F-150 Raptor, are excluded from eligibility. The structure makes clear there are firm guardrails around headline nameplates.

Eligibility requires a vehicle less than 36 months old with up to 36,000 miles (57,960 km). The program does not apply to cars that fall under lemon laws or to customers in California. Tight criteria keep the effort targeted to repeat-issue cases rather than serving as a blanket incentive.

Company leaders indicated the aim is to retain buyers who might otherwise leave the brand due to recurring defects. They also said the initiative complements Ford’s broader push on quality, including new processes and monitoring tools. Taken together, it functions as a retention lever alongside ongoing quality work, addressing immediate pain points while longer-term fixes take root.