Ford Motor Company will pay a fine of up to $165 million to the US government for moving too slowly on the recall and failing to provide accurate information about the recall.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that the civil penalty is the second largest in its 54-year history. Only the fine paid by Takata for defective air bag inflators was higher.
The agency said Ford was too slow to recall cars with defective rear cameras, and failed to provide the agency with complete information, which is required by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
Ford agreed To the approval order With the agency including a $65 million payout and $45 million in spending to comply with the law. Another $55 million will be deferred.
“Accurate and timely recalls are critical to keeping everyone safe on our roads,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman. “When manufacturers fail to prioritize the safety of the American public and meet their obligations under federal law, NHTSA will hold them accountable.”
Under the order, an independent third party will oversee the automaker’s recall performance obligations for at least three years, and Ford must cooperate with the monitor.
Ford must also review all recalls over the past three years to ensure that enough vehicles have been recalled, and file new recalls if necessary.
The company must also review and change its recall decision-making process, and improve the way it analyzes data to find safety defects in its vehicles. They also have to invest in technology so they can track parts through vehicle identification numbers.
Ford says it will invest $45 million in advanced data analytics, a new document system and a new testing lab.
“We appreciate the opportunity to resolve this matter with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and remain committed to continuous improvement of safety,” Ford said in a statement.
Under the law, an automaker must notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) by filing a defect report within five business days of discovering a safety defect in a line of vehicles.
The problem Recalling more than 620,000 cars in the United Statesmore than 700,000 in North America, came in September of 2020 for rearview cameras that can fail on several 2020 models, including the F-Series pickup truck, the best-selling vehicle in the U.S.
In agency documents, NHTSA said Ford found warranty claims for defective cameras from February through April 2020, and the matter was brought before a Ford panel in May of that year.
In July of 2020, NHTSA contacted Ford about complaints it had received about failed cams, and during an August 2020 meeting with NHTSA, Ford presented data for several 2020 models with high cam failure rates.
The company made the recall on September 23, 2020, and about a year later NHTSA began investigating whether the recall had occurred quickly enough or included a sufficient number of vehicles.
She added that in 2022 and 2024, Ford conducted two additional recalls for the same issue About 24,000 vehicles for the first camera recall.
In the consent order, NHTSA said its investigation found that Ford violated multiple parts of the law by moving too slowly to recall vehicles with defective cameras, giving the agency inaccurate or incomplete information, and failing to submit required quarterly reports about additional recalls.
The order said Ford disagreed with his assertions.
for several years, High warranty and recall costs It has cut into Ford’s profits, but the company says it’s working on the problem.
The penalty does not end the conflicts between Ford and NHTSA.
Earlier this year the agency I opened an investigation The Ford SUV recall that won’t work fixes gasoline leaks that can cause engine fires. They did just that, investigators wrote in an April 25 letter to Ford ‘Major security concerns’ About 43,000 Bronco Sport and Escape SUVs are being recalled on March 8.
Fuel injectors can crack, allowing gas or steam to leak near hot engine parts, potentially causing fires and injuries, Ford said in the documents. But the solution is to add a drain tube to keep the gas away from hot surfaces and software that cuts off the fuel supply if it detects a leak.
In the letter, the agency’s Office of Defect Investigation wrote that based on its review of the recall fix, it “believes the remediation program does not address the root cause of the problem and does not proactively advocate for the replacement of defective fuel injectors before they fail.”
Ford said it has a robust recall process and is committed to complying with the law, but it can always improve. She learned to call the camera.
“We look forward to working with NHTSA and independent third parties to implement further improvements,” Ford said.
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