Key facts
- Ford was recognized as the top mass-market brand in JD Power's latest initial-quality study.
- The automaker credits a combination of AI tools and veteran engineers for its quality turnaround.
- Ford has brought back around 350 experienced technical specialists to mentor staff and improve quality.
- Executives admitted that AI and automation alone were not sufficient to resolve quality problems.
- The company launched a quality reset in 2023, focusing on preventing issues before they occur.
Ford has achieved a significant improvement in vehicle quality, earning the top spot among mass-market brands in JD Power's latest initial-quality study. Executives attribute this turnaround to a strategic combination of artificial intelligence tools and the expertise of veteran engineers.
According to Charles Poon, Ford's vice president of vehicle hardware engineering, the company initially overestimated the capabilities of AI, realizing that it required experienced human input for effective training and defect identification. Ford has since rehired, promoted, or brought back approximately 350 experienced technical specialists. These engineers are mentoring junior staff, leading design reviews, and enhancing the AI and automated systems used to detect flaws before vehicles reach customers.
Ford's COO, Kumar Galhotra, stated that the company launched a "quality reset" in 2023, more than doubling its technical specialist workforce. These specialists now conduct mandatory design reviews to identify potential failure points early in the process. Ford also established an industrial system team to foster closer collaboration between engineering, manufacturing, and supply chain departments, moving away from a reactive "find and fix" approach to a more proactive one.
The automaker has also developed two AI-enhanced scanning tools, AiTriz and MAIVs, which debuted in 2024 to ensure cars are properly assembled before leaving the factory. While these tools are contributing to quality improvements, it remains unclear if the 350 specialists directly worked on them.
This quality win comes after years of challenges, including a high number of recalls. Ford executives noted that many current recalls are linked to vehicles designed between 2013 and 2020, viewing recalls as a lagging indicator. The JD Power award is seen as evidence that their new approach is yielding positive results in newer vehicle models.