Ford Motor Company spent $3.923 billion in warranty costs in 2020 for 4.19 million cars sold globally, nearly $2 billion more than GM in a year where auto factories had to shut down for two months. Consumer Reports' Annual Reliability Study rated the Ford brand 22nd out of 26 automakers in 2020, Lincoln pulling up in the caboose at 26th. In 2021, things got worse, Ford spending $3.952 billion on warranty claims for 3.94 million cars sold — and those two years were massive improvements over 2018 and 2019. Ford did climb two spots in CR's reliability survey, Lincoln remained last. This year's a bit mixed, Lincoln reaching 10th place on the CR survey, Ford at 18th, the same place it held in 2021, and both brands moving up slightly in CR's Brand Report. However, Ford has had 46 recalls covering 6.8 million vehicles through the first seven months of this year, more than triple the next brand, Tesla, nearly five times GM in third. And CR rates bread-and-butter models like the Explorer and F-150 below average for reliability, so too the in-demand Mustang Mach-E, and says, "All other Fords are average."
