Al Root
Ford Motor is facing another round of recalls.
The company reported almost 2.4 million recalls in six separate actions on Tuesday, according to data posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website.
Investors should pay attention to recall numbers -- as long as they don't overreact.
The latest batch of recalls were mainly related to issues with backup cameras and windshield wipers. Many of the recalls involve a trip to the dealer to update software or have parts inspected.
Ford stock was down 0.6% at $12.27 in early trading Friday, while S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average futures were down 0.8% and 0.7%, respectively.
Recalls are a part of doing business for auto makers, and rarely move stock prices for a significant period of time. Recalls, however, can show up in higher warranty costs.
Ford's warranty expenses, including adjustments to pre-existing warranties amounted to almost 5% of sales in 2025. The number for General Motors was closer to 4% of sales.
So far this year, Ford has recalled some 7.3 million cars in 17 separate actions, according to NHTSA data. In 2025, there were 220 recalls of 17.7 million vehicles.
Higher recall rates may signal Ford's increased focus on quality. Ford's Chief Operating Officer Kumar Galhotra told The Wall Street Journal recently: "The increase in recalls reflects our intensive strategy to quickly find and fix any hardware and software issues and go the extra mile to protect customers."
Investors will accept the higher pace of recalls as long as it leads to better quality and fewer warranty charges affecting earnings down the road.
Write to Al Root at allen.root@dowjones.com
This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 06, 2026 09:47 ET (14:47 GMT)
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