Autoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.Ford Starts Turning The CornerSince the start of this decade, Ford has frequently been linked to quality issues, even leading major automakers in NHTSA recall campaigns for several years. That gave Chrysler, now part of Stellantis, some breathing room after previously topping the unwanted list. Eventually, the Blue Oval brand made internal changes, particularly around addressing problems earlier rather than finding them later, and recently, it ranked as the top mass-market brand in JD Power's 2026 Initial Quality Study.To put that achievement into perspective, Ford ranked 23rd three years ago. One of its significant changes was shifting from a "find-and-fix" mentality on defects to catching them before vehicles leave the factory. Automotive News reported that this shift occurred in 2023, when a problematic redesign of the Super Duty pickup line cost the company $1 billion.FordThe Graybeards Get To WorkThe change was supported by hiring or promoting more than 350 technical specialists over the past three years. Informally referred to as "graybeards" for their expertise, they focus on specific vehicle components or processes – some on preventing engine contamination, others on wiring systems.AdvertisementAdvertisementOne of the recent hires, Samuel Matt, is a technical expert on rear closures such as liftgates, tailgates, and cargo doors. He and his team discovered during Explorer testing that a supplier error had caused a component in the liftgate closure system to malfunction. They diagnosed and resolved the issue the same day, before launch. Left undetected, such problems could potentially lead to recalls down the line. Although repairs are generally free for owners, they can still take up their time and hurt the brand's quality reputation, even when a supplier is responsible.Charles Poon, Ford's vice president of vehicle hardware engineering, said, "There [have] been hundreds of corrections, improvements, I would say, in our designs even before the first part is even produced, going through this process. We're starting to see the payoffs of that occur right now."FordThe Quality Work Never StopsIn addition to addressing problems earlier, Ford has started holding daily problem-solving sessions to track issues through resolution and subjecting vehicles to longer durability testing equivalent to 15 years or 225,000 miles.Ford still leads major automakers in NHTSA recall campaigns so far this year, with 67 as of this writing, including a recent one involving five models equipped with EcoBoost engines. However, executives say they're pleased with the progress. Stellantis comes in second with 32 recalls, followed by General Motors (22), Toyota (21), and Hyundai (18).Kyle EdwardView the 3 images of this gallery on the original articleAdvertisementAdvertisementThis story was originally published by Autoblog on Sep 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.