Ford Motor Company ended 2025 with a record number of recall campaigns, issuing more than 100 more than its closest competitor, Stellantis. The total nearly doubled the previous record for most recalls, set by General Motors in 2014.

COO Kumar Galhotra said the company stands behind its vehicles and moves quickly when issues arise. He added that initial quality has improved, and when faults do occur, Ford takes responsibility for fixing them. The message feels pragmatic: repairs may be frequent, but the response is quicker and the accountability clearer.

Galhotra also noted that 2025 model-year vehicles are already outperforming prior years on quality. Ford expects lower warranty costs and more than a 10 percent improvement in repairs per thousand vehicles in the first months of ownership. He pointed to J.D. Power’s 2025 dependability study, where Ford and Lincoln were the most improved brands. In this context, momentum often matters more than the headline recall count, which can reflect how assertively a company pursues corrections.

In the first quarter, the company completed 9.5 million over-the-air updates to address customer concerns. At the same time, a significant share of the 2,205 recalls involved repeat work tied to adjustments to earlier repairs. This stemmed from a $165 million agreement with NHTSA that required the company to recheck all recalls from the past three years. Over-the-air fixes help reduce disruption for owners, though lasting confidence still depends on getting the hardware right from the start.

Against this backdrop, thorough vehicle checks remain a cornerstone of buyer trust—especially when choosing new models and judging how a manufacturer handles quality and safety. Clear communication about fixes and timelines often carries as much weight as the repair itself.