Ford Fined, Recall Process Placed Under Oversight For 3 Years

Ford Motor Company will pay up to $165 million in penalties after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration determined the automaker was too slow in recalling vehicles with faulty rearview cameras and failed to provide accurate recall information.

The settlement is the second-largest fine in NHTSA's history, surpassed only by Takata’s airbag penalty. The situation stems from a September 2020 recall of more than 620,000 U.S. vehicles—over 700,000 in North America—including popular 2020 models such as the F-Series pickup. Faulty rearview cameras in these vehicles could fail, posing safety risks.

NHTSA’s investigation revealed Ford had identified warranty claims about the defective cameras as early as February 2020 but delayed initiating the recall until September, despite data showing high failure rates.

Under the consent order, Ford will pay an initial $65 million penalty, invest $45 million in safety and compliance improvements, and defer an additional $55 million contingent on compliance. The automaker is required to implement changes to its recall process, including independent third-party monitoring for at least three years. The order also mandates a review of all Ford recalls from the past three years to ensure sufficient vehicle coverage, with potential new recalls if gaps are found.

This is not Ford’s only recent clash with NHTSA. The agency is investigating whether a 2023 recall of nearly 43,000 Ford Bronco Sport and Escape SUVs sufficiently addressed potential fuel leaks that could lead to engine fires. NHTSA has expressed concerns that Ford's proposed fixes—adding a drain tube and software update—do not resolve the root cause of the problem.

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