Ford Motor Company has come under fire in recent months, receiving the most vehicle recalls in company history, focusing a major spotlight on safety issues. In a press briefing, Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s chief operating officer, emphasized that recent increase. He pointed to the company’s long-term focus on improving safety and customer service.
As of the recall report on August 22, 355,656 Ford vehicles are impacted. The root cause of the problem is actually the instrument panel cluster (IPC). This defect can cause the IPC to fail to boot up, leaving drivers with a blank screen. Such a failure can limit access to essential vehicle data, preventing a safe action from being taken.
Ford will notify owners of the defect by mailing them letters. These letters, known as findings letters, will spell out specific information with step-by-step instructions for the required remedies. The company aims to streamline the process for customers, making it “more convenient for customers compared to an in-person dealer visit,” as stated by Ford representatives.
To that end, Galhotra pointed at the recent recall as a reason for some of the proactivity Ford has been undertaking. He mentioned that the situation “reflects our intensive strategy to quickly find and fix hardware and software issues and go the extra mile to help protect customers.” This new statement adds yet another layer to Ford’s commitment to put their customers’ safety first and fix any issues as quickly as possible.
The recall is expected to cover all 355,656 vehicles that have an IPC failure problem. Ford has intensified its safety testing. This decision is just one step of a broader effort to make quality control a priority and reduce the occurrence of defects in the future.
Michigan-based Ford is committed to communicating clearly with their customers throughout the recall process. The company is equally committed to delivering the support needed at every stage of the journey. The company still has a ways to go in focusing on making these fixes quickly while being transparent with vehicle owners.
