Ford CEO Jim Farley told a group of retired engineers that it would take several years for the Blue Oval to fix its quality problems.
JEFF KOWALSKY/GETTY IMAGESFord has a quality problem. The company has struggled to launch new products over the last few years, leading to a slew of recall and warranty claims that are costing the Blue Oval a ton of money. CEO Jim Farley says getting quality up is his number one priority and, speaking to a group of retired engineers, he didn’t make it sound easy.
“Fixing quality is my No. 1 priority,” Farley said, according to Ford Authority. “It is the most important initiative in the whole company. And it’s going to take several years. We didn’t lose it in just one or two years. Until we fix quality, nothing else matters.”
Ford Authority reports that Farley was speaking to the Ford Retired Engineering Executivesgroup, referencing a quality dip that has caused Ford products like the Explorer and F-150 PowerBoost hybrid to receive poor marks in Consumer Reports’ reliability survey. The result has hurt Ford’s bottom line, as Autoblog points out that over the past few years the company has spent significantly more on warranty claims and recalled far more vehicles than crosstown rival General Motors.
There’s reason to be hopeful, however. After two years in last place, last year Lincoln climbed to midpack in the Consumer Reports reliability survey, as Autoblog notes. Still, it’s going to be a bit before Ford’s quality woes are over. The brand has to hope it doesn’t alienate too many customers in the meantime.
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