We are not telling you anything new by saying Ford has a serious recall problem. The automaker is the first to admit it. In 2025, the brand set an unenviable record in the United States with 153 recalls involving 12.9 million vehicles. Stellantis, in second place, launched 53 campaigns covering 2.7 million vehicles. Ford leads this particular race yet again, but changes in how things are done have been promised for some time now.
Ford recalled 12.9 million vehicles in 2025, a record in the United States.
The Essex engine plant in Ohio is at the heart of the new quality strategy.
Daily engine teardowns and artificial intelligence are central to the solution.
This week, the company spoke with Road & Track about a new approach being implemented on the factory floor. The goal is straightforward: reduce the number of recalls tied to mechanical problems. Here, in essence, is what Ford’s strategy looks like.
Tearing Down One Engine a Day
To improve its situation, Ford adopted a new quality control practice across its plants last year. Neil Wilson, manager of the Essex engine plant in Ohio, where the 5.0-litre V8 for the Mustang and F-150 is built, along with the 6.7- and 7.3-litre V8s for the Super Duty trucks, explained that the plant now systematically tears down one engine per day to detect potential problems and assess assembly quality.
Previously, the plant performed this operation once a quarter or whenever a specific issue was suspected. Since 2025, one engine is pulled from the assembly line every day, put through a battery of tests, then completely disassembled and inspected in detail. Ford drew inspiration from its Valencia, Spain, plant, which stands out as the company’s best-performing facility worldwide in terms of quality.
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This pace demands additional time, labour, and money. But according to Neil Wilson, the benefits far outweigh the costs. Anomalies that would previously have slipped through undetected are now caught before vehicles ever leave the plant. The approach is no longer reactive. It is preventive.
Artificial Intelligence in the Mix
Ford is going further than physical teardowns alone. A predictive monitoring system powered by artificial intelligence continuously analyzes precise measurement points along the production line, flagging unusual variations even when all parts fall within established manufacturing tolerances. When the AI detects a potential anomaly, it directs technicians to the specific areas to focus on during teardown.
According to Neil Wilson, those technicians do not leave their posts until they have identified the source of the problem. An engine can be built entirely from parts that are within spec and still trigger an alert. That is precisely where the tool’s value lies.
Encouraging Early Results
Ford tracks its warranty indicators at 0, 1, and 3 months in service, and says it has observed a marked decline in claims since this practice was put in place.
A company spokesperson clarified that current recalls largely involve older vehicles and that the efforts underway on the factory floor are aimed at improving reliability in recent models and, above all, in those yet to come.
Ford is not claiming to have solved the problem overnight. But the intention is there.
It had to start somewhere.
Assembly quality issues will also need to be addressed. But that is a whole other file.
