Ford has significantly improved product quality. Our 2025 initial quality is on track to become among our best ever, and Ford was the most awarded brand in the recent J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Initial Quality Study, with four Ford vehicles topping their segments.

The increase in recalls reflects our intensive strategy to quickly find and fix hardware and software issues and go the extra mile to help protect customers. Ford has more than doubled its team of safety and technical experts in the past two years and significantly increased testing to failure on critical systems in current Ford vehicles such as powertrains, steering and braking. Insights from this testing are being incorporated into current production.

We are making progress on software quality, using an enhanced software validation process to help ensure the right software is present on vehicles and using over-the-air updates to address potential warranty issues before they become customer issues.

Modern digital safety systems require new talent, tools, and standards. Ford has deeply invested in those capabilities like connected data signaling and dramatically increased testing on all new products across broad variations in customer use.

In applying these new standards, we can and do find issues that exist on earlier model years, including ones that have not even been reported. We will not compromise our responsibility to all our customers, not just those buying new vehicles.

We believe this approach will lead to systemic and lasting positive change and help us reach world-class levels for quality, safety and customer satisfaction.

Kumar Galhotra is chief operating officer at Ford.