Transportation

Ford Sacrifices Short-Term Profits to Fix Its Costly Recall Problem

CEO Jim Farley is tired of running the most recalled automaker in the country

An F-150 pickup on the assembly line at the Ford Dearborn Plant in Michigan, on April 11.Photographer: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
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Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley is so fed up with being the most recalled automaker in America that he’s willing to lose money to fix what’s ballooned into a $4.8 billion a year problem.

For the foreseeable future, Farley says, the company will hold newly redesigned models for up to six weeks to perform extra quality checks that go beyond the extensive tests Ford undertakes in its factories.