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{{CompanyCargo
Henry Ford made the first patent Ford automobile, the quadricycle in 1896. He then actually incorporated the Ford motor company in 1903. They're now a company known pretty well for anti-consumer behaviour<!-- casual language + too accusatory, see NPOV. These are to be factual articles. -->, and automotive-typical practices like marked up parts sharing that probably started in the late 1990's.<!-- In general, keep this bio as a basic background about the company -->
|Founded=1903
|Industry=Automotive
|Logo=Ford.png
|Type=Public
|Website=https://ford.com/
}}


=== Anti-Consumer Practices ===
The '''[[Wikipedia:Ford Motor Company|Ford Motor Company]]''' was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford in Detroit, Michigan. With the introduction of a moving assembly line, Ford drastically reduced the cost and time of automobile production, making cars affordable for the masses and transforming industrial production globally. It is one of the oldest and largest automobile manufacturers, one of the "Big Three" American automakers, alongside General Motors (GM) and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler).<!-- In general, keep this bio as a basic background about the company -->
Ford have been known recently for being the maker of America's most recalled vehicles<!-- citation needed, and time needs to be defined -->. CEO Jim Farley recently<!-- when? citation + reference needed --> said "no more recalls", and at least in Europe, that's been enforced by selling engines that break themselves and sometimes catch fire doing it, with the only recall being to fix the fire part. Ford have filed dangerous patents and have managed to find a way in the 2020's to make a software update go so wrong it bricks a vehicle.


==Consumer protection summary<!-- Needs more of the summary filled in, check https://wiki.rossmanngroup.com/wiki/Consumer_Action_Taskforce:Sample/Company for details -->==


====Privacy====


Ford also have obtained patents for systems like one that feeds ads to distract the driver<!-- is this really the purpose of the adverts? seems unlikely --> of their automobiles<ref>https://therecord.media/ford-patent-application-in-vehicle-listening-advertising</ref>, and another patent for a system to annoy the owner of, restrict access to and then repossess or destroy vehicles where the owner "has defected" on finance payments<ref>https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/03/ford-files-patent-for-system-that-could-remotely-repossess-a-car/</ref>.
*Collects sensitive personal information from multiple sources, including data from the vehicle itself, data from the connected mobile app, and data obtained during the vehicle's purchase.<ref name=":0">https://www.ford.com/help/privacy/#USprivacynotice Ford US Privacy Notice</ref>
*Data collected includes purchase history, financial information, coarse and precise location data, contact information, identifiers (e.g., VIN, account ID), user-generated content (e.g., voice recordings from smart features), search and browsing history for advertising purposes, usage data, sensitive information (under "Inferences"), diagnostics, and more.<ref name=":0" />
*Aggregates data from external sources as well, including users' social media posts.<ref name=":0" />
*Privacy policy is designed to prevent quickly searching for important terms.<ref>https://www.ford.com/help/privacy/ Ford Privacy Policy</ref>
*It is unclear how long data is retained.<ref name=":0" />
*According to CCPA Metrics from 2023, there were 96 requests for data to be deleted, and 7 of these requests were denied.<ref>https://www.ford.com/help/privacy/#caPrivacy Ford California Notice At Collection And Privacy Disclosures</ref>
 
==Anti-consumer practices==
 
===Patents regarding consumer data===
Ford has obtained patents for systems unrelated to the primary functions of driving that can collect data on the consumer. One patented system can [[Ford ad patent|serve advertisements]] based on the driver's conversations,<ref>https://therecord.media/ford-patent-application-in-vehicle-listening-advertising</ref> while another patented system pertaining to vehicle [[Ford Repossession Patent|repossession]] enables the restricting access to vehicles (e.g. if their owners have missed car payments).<ref name=":1">https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/03/ford-files-patent-for-system-that-could-remotely-repossess-a-car/</ref> Ford has responded to the controversy surrounding these patents by stating that possessing these patents is not necessarily an indication of new product plans. <ref name=":1" /> However, the development of such systems may negatively impact consumers' overall trust in the company, and lead them to be more wary of accepting sales terms.
 
===Engineering practices===
Various Ford models' engine designs use a rubber belt, rather than a metal chain, to transmit power to the engine's oil pump. This belt operates submerged in the crankcase engine oil, and can degrade and fail prematurely, potentially causing a sudden loss of vehicle oil pressure.<ref>https://garagewire.co.uk/news/bbc-watchdog-ford-ecoboost-wet-belt-problem/</ref> Ford has also knowingly released transmission systems in the Fiesta and Focus models that have had multiple issues: loss of forward power from a stop, loss of power when in top gear at constant speed, sudden unintended acceleration, and loss of power when the transmission is shifting between gears.<ref>https://www.freep.com/in-depth/money/cars/ford/2019/07/11/ford-focus-fiesta-transmission-defect/1671198001/</ref> A Ford user has also reported that a software update resulted in their vehicle being rendered unusable ("bricked").<ref>https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/automatic-software-update-bricked-my-truck.96624/</ref>
 
Ford has a notable history of manufacturing America's most recalled vehicles, setting the record for most recalls issued in 2021, 2022, and 2023.<ref>https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/</ref> This may be partially attributable to Ford's large market share; a large amount of recalls is not uncommon for large companies. However, it may also indicate that Ford doesn't meet the production quality of other manufacturers.
 
==References==
<references />
[[Category:Ford]]

Revision as of 22:16, 14 July 2025

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Ford
Basic information
Founded 1903
Legal Structure Public
Industry Automotive
Official website https://ford.com/


The Ford Motor Company was founded in 1903 by Henry Ford in Detroit, Michigan. With the introduction of a moving assembly line, Ford drastically reduced the cost and time of automobile production, making cars affordable for the masses and transforming industrial production globally. It is one of the oldest and largest automobile manufacturers, one of the "Big Three" American automakers, alongside General Motors (GM) and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler).

Consumer protection summary

Privacy

  • Collects sensitive personal information from multiple sources, including data from the vehicle itself, data from the connected mobile app, and data obtained during the vehicle's purchase.[1]
  • Data collected includes purchase history, financial information, coarse and precise location data, contact information, identifiers (e.g., VIN, account ID), user-generated content (e.g., voice recordings from smart features), search and browsing history for advertising purposes, usage data, sensitive information (under "Inferences"), diagnostics, and more.[1]
  • Aggregates data from external sources as well, including users' social media posts.[1]
  • Privacy policy is designed to prevent quickly searching for important terms.[2]
  • It is unclear how long data is retained.[1]
  • According to CCPA Metrics from 2023, there were 96 requests for data to be deleted, and 7 of these requests were denied.[3]

Anti-consumer practices

Patents regarding consumer data

Ford has obtained patents for systems unrelated to the primary functions of driving that can collect data on the consumer. One patented system can serve advertisements based on the driver's conversations,[4] while another patented system pertaining to vehicle repossession enables the restricting access to vehicles (e.g. if their owners have missed car payments).[5] Ford has responded to the controversy surrounding these patents by stating that possessing these patents is not necessarily an indication of new product plans. [5] However, the development of such systems may negatively impact consumers' overall trust in the company, and lead them to be more wary of accepting sales terms.

Engineering practices

Various Ford models' engine designs use a rubber belt, rather than a metal chain, to transmit power to the engine's oil pump. This belt operates submerged in the crankcase engine oil, and can degrade and fail prematurely, potentially causing a sudden loss of vehicle oil pressure.[6] Ford has also knowingly released transmission systems in the Fiesta and Focus models that have had multiple issues: loss of forward power from a stop, loss of power when in top gear at constant speed, sudden unintended acceleration, and loss of power when the transmission is shifting between gears.[7] A Ford user has also reported that a software update resulted in their vehicle being rendered unusable ("bricked").[8]

Ford has a notable history of manufacturing America's most recalled vehicles, setting the record for most recalls issued in 2021, 2022, and 2023.[9] This may be partially attributable to Ford's large market share; a large amount of recalls is not uncommon for large companies. However, it may also indicate that Ford doesn't meet the production quality of other manufacturers.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://www.ford.com/help/privacy/#USprivacynotice Ford US Privacy Notice
  2. ↑ https://www.ford.com/help/privacy/ Ford Privacy Policy
  3. ↑ https://www.ford.com/help/privacy/#caPrivacy Ford California Notice At Collection And Privacy Disclosures
  4. ↑ https://therecord.media/ford-patent-application-in-vehicle-listening-advertising
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/03/ford-files-patent-for-system-that-could-remotely-repossess-a-car/
  6. ↑ https://garagewire.co.uk/news/bbc-watchdog-ford-ecoboost-wet-belt-problem/
  7. ↑ https://www.freep.com/in-depth/money/cars/ford/2019/07/11/ford-focus-fiesta-transmission-defect/1671198001/
  8. ↑ https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/automatic-software-update-bricked-my-truck.96624/
  9. ↑ https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/
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