Ford Australia says a series of high-profile recalls affecting some of its best-selling vehicles, including the Ranger ute and Everest SUV, hasn’t damaged its brand image or the reputation of individual models.

According to the Australian government’s Vehicle Recalls website, 120 vehicle recalls have been issued so far in 2026 across all brands and private importers.

Ford Australia has issued 19 recalls affecting a total of 33,863 vehicles – the most of any automaker – ahead of Hyundai with 13 and Toyota with seven.

Among the affected Ford models were 13,907 Rangers recalled last month, preventing Ford Australia from delivering them to customers until they were repaired. It was the Ranger nameplate’s fifth recall this year.

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The stop-sale contributed to Ranger sales slumping in August to its lowest monthly figure since the current generation was introduced in 2022, as the automaker waited for replacement parts.

Ford’s latest recall was issued on August 27 and affected 4955 examples of the Mustang sports car, marking the nameplate’s third recall of 2026.

Speaking to CarExpert at the recent ‘Ford Uncovered’ event in Melbourne, where the company announced the Bronco Basecamp extended-range electric SUV and Transit City electric van for Australia, Ford Australia marketing director Ambrose Henderson said the recalls hadn’t tarnished the brand.

“I think the first step is safety has to be [the] number-one priority,” Mr Henderson told CarExpert.

“Now, as an automotive industry, recalls are a fact of life; they’re something that happens across all the brands.

“What’s important is identifying the issue, putting safety first, and making sure we resolve it really quickly. And we think with our established processes, we do that, and we do that every day for our customers.

“Something that sets us apart from anyone else: having that knowledge, that long time in market, that dealer network to be able to deliver on those things.”

So far this year, the Transit Custom commercial van has been subject to the greatest number of Ford recalls, with six, ahead of the Ranger’s five.

Ford Australia also topped the list in 2025, when 110,362 vehicles were affected across 26 recalls. The Mustang was the most frequently recalled Ford model, appearing in nine notices.

The issue isn’t limited to Ford Australia, with Ford also leading recall tallies in the United States, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Last week, the NHTSA opened a safety probe covering 499,603 petrol-powered examples of the 2015–2018 Edge SUV. The Edge wasn’t sold here, although a diesel-powered version was offered in Australia from 2018 as the Endura.

In February, Ford recalled 4.4 million vehicles in the US over a software issue, including 2.3 million F-150s manufactured between 2021 and 2026. The issue also affected 6832 F-150s sold in Australia, with an official recall issued in April.

Despite the large number of recalls, Ford has recorded an improvement in new-vehicle quality in the US.

In June, Ford ranked highest among mass-market brands in the 2026 J.D. Power US Initial Quality Study for the first time since 2010.

The study measures the number of problems reported per 100 vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership. The Mustang and F-150 ranked highest in their respective segments.

The turnaround followed a US$165 million (A$228.6 million) penalty imposed by the NHTSA in 2024 for Ford’s failure to comply with US recall requirements.

It was the second-largest civil penalty in the agency’s history, behind the penalty imposed over the Takata airbag scandal.

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