Ford has climbed to the top of the J. D.
Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) rankings for mass-market brands. In 2023, it ranked 23rd; by 2026, it leads the segment.
The automaker attributes this turnaround to hiring around 350 technical specialists, known internally as 'Grey Beards.'
These experts were brought in to identify and prevent problems before they occur.
A Costly Lesson
Ford's quality struggles became evident after a 2019 restructuring led by then-CEO Jim Hackett cut 7,000 jobs.
The move aimed to make the company more agile but resulted in a loss of expertise.
In 2023, issues spiked with the redesigned Super Duty, causing over $1 billion in losses. Hundreds of defects forced production slowdowns and manual inspections of finished vehicles.
Charles Poon, Ford's vice president of vehicle hardware engineering, admitted, 'We were not effectively solving problems, and we were not effectively preventing problems.'
Human Expertise Complements AI
Ford uses AI to process data and assess systems, but human experts remain essential.
One specialist, Samuel Matt, caught a major issue with the Explorer's manual tailgate closure during testing.
The company has shifted from a 'find and fix' approach to preventing issues before production.
Other improvements include daily problem-solving meetings and extended vehicle testing equivalent to 15 years or 225,000 miles.
