The Breakdown
- Ford is tearing down engines every day in an effort to reduce recalls.
- The automaker is already seeing results with a ‘rapid decline’ in warranty claims.
- Ford has issued 50 recalls so far this year after issuing 153 last year, the most of any automaker.
Ford has a recall problem, but the Blue Oval is coming up with ways to try to curb it. The company has started tearing down an engine a day at its factories to uncover problems before they turn into larger headaches for owners.
The automaker has been first in issuing recalls over the last few years, with 152 in 2025 for nearly 13million vehicles. So far this year, Ford has issued more than 50 recalls, but the plan is "providing real insight on how to protect quality, according to Neil Wilson, Ford’s Essex engine plant manager, in an interview with Road & Track. 
The results are already apparent in the data, with a "rapid decline" in warranty claims, Wilson told the publication. That should eventually result in Ford issuing fewer recalls.
When an engine is pulled from the assembly line, it undergoes a series of tests. The results can help employees identify potential problems by showing them where to look specifically.
Wilson told Road & Track that the program is “providing real insight on how to protect quality, and it's no longer a reactive tool.”
Motor1’s Take: Ford is pulling out all the stops to improve the quality of its vehicles. Recalls have plagued the automaker for the last several years, and the automaker has been adamant that it is working to reduce them. If it must tear down one engine a day, that is just the cost of doing business.
