2025 Quality Comes First Team Awards: Celebrating a Commitment to Quality as Ford’s Shared Signature

Ford’s commitment to quality was on display this week at the annual Quality Comes First Team Awards presentation, a global celebration recognizing outstanding achievements from teams across the company. The event, held in-person at its world headquarters and virtually with participants gathered around the globe, underscored a collective journey towards excellence. 

“We don't just build cars. We build trust; we build loyalty; we build the future of Ford," said Josh Haliburton, executive director of quality. 

The central theme of the day revolved around quality as Ford’s shared signature. 

“When a customer takes delivery of their new Ford, they don’t see the thousands of individual parts or the millions of lines of code or the different teams that built it,” said Charles Poon, Vice President, Vehicle Hardware Engineering. “They just see one vehicle, their Ford.”

Poon, like other speakers throughout the event, highlighted the importance of breaking down silos, fostering cross-functional partnerships, and working as a unified team to ensure a seamless guarantee for every customer. 

Ford celebrated its initial quality in 2025 as being among the best in Ford’s history and being among the most awarded brands in the J.D. Power 2025 US Initial Quality Study. Beyond that, Poon highlighted the $500 million decline in warranty costs in 2025, down from 2024, that was reported in the company’s Q4 earnings. 

“Every time we find and prevent an issue before it reaches a customer, every time we launch a vehicle with flawless execution, we are rebuilding that trust with the customers who rely on us,” Poon said

Looking ahead, the focus extends beyond short-term metrics. The company is charting a course for long-term ownership and lifelong brand loyalty, aiming for excellence beyond the 36-month service mark. That requires a fundamental shift in operations, making quality an inherent part of Ford’s DNA. The formation of the Product Creation and Industrialization Organization, which integrates electric vehicles, digital, and design into existing industrial systems, is a testament to this commitment.

Haliburton closed the ceremony by challenging teams to focus on three critical areas: First, reliability and durability — “I like to call it dependability,” he said. Second, driving down recalls. And, finally, perfecting the total customer experience.

“If we nail all three of those, we will be the industry leaders in quality,’ Haliburton said. “That is our mission [...] As long as we focus on Quality Comes First, we will deliver it.”

Quality Comes First Team Awards 2025: Honored Teams and Achievements
 

The awards portion of the event highlighted diverse accomplishments across Ford’s global operations, recognizing excellence in various categories:

• The Global V52 Drivability team was honored for Best Global Three Months in Service Quality Multi-Year Improvement, for sustaining improvement over several years.

• The Global V48 Automatic Transmission team received the award for Best Global Three Years in Service Quality Multi-Year Improvement, for sustaining a higher time in service multi-year improvement.

• The ICE Propulsion and Thermal Systems Engineering team received the Global CPR Excellence award, for delivering $114 million in savings while improving customer uptime, onboarding over 20 members in record time, building a partnership with FCSD, and implementing efforts to eliminate waste. 

• The Electrified Propulsion System team was recognized for Best Global Function Supplier Recovery Performance as a Percent of Spend, for setting a gold standard in supplier recovery with a remarkable 48% recovery rate, which brought more than $57 million back to the business, as well as we an outstanding 92% recovery for the F-150 Lightning HV battery project.

• The Interior STA team was recognized for their tremendous results in warranty, achieving a 50.5% year-over-year reduction in warranty and consistent four-year reductions, including more than 58% last year through collaborative effort with engineering and manufacturing.

• The Ford Maverick and Hermosillo team secured their third consecutive win for Best in Segment Repairs – Mid-size Pickup Trucks, praised for their “zero-and-zero” mentality (zero repairs at zero months in service), delivering this three times or more in the '25 model year, and implementing a six-mile driving inspection, among other achievements. 

• The E-series Vehicle and Ohio Assembly Plant teams received the award for Best in Segment Repairs – Commercial Vehicles, for achieving fantastic results last year as they work to address first-run capability. 

• The IMG Ford Ranger team was awarded for Best in Segment – Repairs for Mid-size Pickup, as the 2026 multi-year IMG Ranger is now best in class for three months in service repairs per thousand, leading its segment and surpassing competitors like the Hilux.

• The Ranger Vehicle team from the Silverton Assembly plant was recognized with the Global Vehicle Line Quality Excellence award for Three Months in Service Performance, for their outstanding performance driven by a detailed plan, internal quality conferences, collaboration with suppliers, and daily real-time feedback with dealers.

• The 2025 model year Expedition & Navigator Launch team and the Kentucky Truck Plant team were honored with the Best Global First Run Capability Launch Performance versus Target award, for setting a new standard in launch quality by matching outgoing model levels by the second week of acceleration and exceeding them by more than 100% by the seventh week.

• The 2025 Ford Ranger PHEV launch team received an award for Early Issue Identification Improvement between TT and PP, for not only meeting 2025 objectives but also showing the best percentage improvement overall, by applying a zero-defect approach and focusing on shop floor ownership. 

• The European Transit V363 Launch team and Ford Otosan Plant in Gölcük, Turkey was recognized for achieving the Lowest Global Three Months in Service Launch Spike, for managing their launch with clear cross-functional ownership, extending fresh eyes across all build phases, doubling validation road tests, and implementing supplier firewalls.

• The Ford Escape Vehicle team and Louisville Assembly Plant received a J.D. Power IQS award in the Compact SUV category.

• The F-150 Vehicle and the Dearborn Truck & Kansas City Assembly Plants teams received a J.D. Power IQS award in the Large Light Duty Pickup Trucks category.

• The Super Duty team and Kentucky Truck Plant received a J.D. Power IQS award in the Large Heavy-Duty Pickup Trucks category. 

• The Mustang Vehicle team and Flat Rock Assembly Plant received a J.D. Power IQS award in the Sporty Car category.

• The Ford Mondeo (China) won first place in the mid-size Upcar segment with an impressive 155 problems per hundred in the J.D. Power VDS (Vehicle Dependability Study).

• The Ford Edge (China) dominated the large SUV segment with an exceptional 110 problems per hundred in the J.D. Power VDS (Vehicle Dependability Study).

• The Washington team was recognized as the winner in the HVC (High Velocity Center) category for 2025 Global Supplier Parts. 

• The Detroit HCC (High Cubic Center) was recognized as the winner in the HCC category for 2025 Global Supplier Parts. 

• The Edmonton Canada PDC (Parts Distribution Center), was recognized as the Global Winner in the PDC category for 2025 Global Supplier Parts.

• The Pacheco Engine Plant was honored with the Global PT Plant Quality Excellence Award for their amazing 65% improvement year-over-year in the Lion engine, 50% over the objective.

• The Silverton Plant in South Africa received the Global VO Plant Quality Excellence Award, for establishing and executing on quality roadmaps and continuing to see outstanding improvements.