Ford: Difference between revisions - Consumer Rights Wiki

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**Some engine designs use a rubber belt—rather than a metal chain—to drive the oil pump. This belt operates submerged in engine oil and may wear out prematurely, potentially leading to a sudden loss of oil pressure. Additionally, they have released transmission systems in certain ''Fiesta'' and ''Focus'' models that have experienced issues, including loss of power during acceleration, gear shifting, or at constant speeds, as well as unintended acceleration. It has been reported that a software update rendered a vehicle inoperable.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Braithwaite-Smith |first=Gavin |date=February 23, 2026 |title=BBC Watchdog shines light on Ford EcoBoost wet belt problem |url=https://garagewire.co.uk/news/bbc-watchdog-ford-ecoboost-wet-belt-problem/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260223043859/https://garagewire.co.uk/news/bbc-watchdog-ford-ecoboost-wet-belt-problem/ |archive-date=February 23, 2026 |website=garagewire.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Howard |first=Phoebe Wall |date=July 11, 2019 |title=Ford knew Focus, Fiesta models had flawed transmission, sold them anyway |url=https://www.freep.com/in-depth/money/cars/ford/2019/07/11/ford-focus-fiesta-transmission-defect/1671198001/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221023357/https://www.freep.com/in-depth/money/cars/ford/2019/07/11/ford-focus-fiesta-transmission-defect/1671198001/ |archive-date=February 21, 2026 |website=Detroit Free Press}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 11, 2023 |title=Automatic Software Update Bricked my Truck |url=https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/automatic-software-update-bricked-my-truck.96624/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250415151514/https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/automatic-software-update-bricked-my-truck.96624/ |archive-date=April 15, 2025 |website=www.fordraptorforum.com}}</ref>

**Ford has had the highest number of vehicle recalls in the U.S. in 2021, 2022, and 2023. While recall volume can be influenced by market share, larger automakers often have more recalls, it may also reflect differences in production quality compared to competitors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NHTSA Recalls by Manufacturer |url=https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260203181946/https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/ |archive-date=February 3, 2026 |website=datahub.transportation.gov}}</ref>

====Lip-reading and facial expression detection patent application====

Ford Global Technologies, LLC is the named applicant on patent application US 2026/0095520 A1, titled "Systems and methods for hands-free communication in convertible vehicles," published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on April 2, 2026.<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent">{{Cite web |url=https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/20260095520 |title=Systems and methods for hands-free communication in convertible vehicles (US 2026/0095520 A1) |last=Weston |first=Keith |author2=Van Wiemeersch, John Robert |author3=Flis, Matthew |author4=Diamond, Brendan |publisher=United States Patent and Trademark Office |date=2026-04-02 |access-date=2026-04-06}}</ref> The named inventors are Keith Weston, John Robert Van Wiemeersch, Matthew Flis, and Brendan Diamond. The application was filed October 1, 2024 as application number 18/903,253. A [[:File:Ford_patent_US20260095520A1.pdf|local archive of the patent application PDF]] is hosted on this wiki.

The application describes a vehicle that detects when it is in a convertible state (top retracted, panel removed, door removed, or sunroof open) and, if cabin noise exceeds a threshold, switches its in-vehicle communication system into an enhanced mode.<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent" /> The enhanced mode can enable a lip reading mode and a gesture and facial expression detection mode. The application states that "[t]he one or more cameras of the vehicle capture the movements of the user's lips" and that the captured video is processed using machine learning algorithms trained on datasets of lip movements.<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent-p5">{{Cite web |url=https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/20260095520 |title=Systems and methods for hands-free communication in convertible vehicles (US 2026/0095520 A1) |last=Weston |first=Keith |author2=Van Wiemeersch, John Robert |author3=Flis, Matthew |author4=Diamond, Brendan |publisher=United States Patent and Trademark Office |date=2026-04-02 |access-date=2026-04-06 |page=5}}</ref> It also describes a method in which "the vehicle may emit inaudible sound waves and analyze the echoes that bounce back from the user's lip and mouth" to detect facial movements.<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent-p5" /> Independent claim 16 recites storing in a database the association between each of a plurality of gestures and a corresponding verbal command. Dependent claim 17 adds the steps of detecting a gesture, looking up its corresponding command in the database, and executing that command.<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent-p9">{{Cite web |url=https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/20260095520 |title=Systems and methods for hands-free communication in convertible vehicles (US 2026/0095520 A1) |last=Weston |first=Keith |author2=Van Wiemeersch, John Robert |author3=Flis, Matthew |author4=Diamond, Brendan |publisher=United States Patent and Trademark Office |date=2026-04-02 |access-date=2026-04-06 |page=9}}</ref>

The application describes storing gesture-to-command associations in a vehicle database<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent-p9" /> and transmitting generated speech or text data to the other party in a conversation,<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent-p5" /> but it does not specify whether raw lip-movement video is retained after processing, how long any captured data is kept, or whether any captured data flows to Ford's control servers or cloud infrastructure. As of the April 2, 2026 publication date, it is a published application and has not issued as a granted patent. For Ford's earlier in-vehicle data collection practices, see [[Jones v. Ford Motor Co.]].

==References==

[[Category:Ford]]

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 **Some engine designs use a rubber belt—rather than a metal chain—to drive the oil pump. This belt operates submerged in engine oil and may wear out prematurely, potentially leading to a sudden loss of oil pressure. Additionally, they have released transmission systems in certain ''Fiesta'' and ''Focus'' models that have experienced issues, including loss of power during acceleration, gear shifting, or at constant speeds, as well as unintended acceleration. It has been reported that a software update rendered a vehicle inoperable.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Braithwaite-Smith |first=Gavin |date=February 23, 2026 |title=BBC Watchdog shines light on Ford EcoBoost wet belt problem |url=https://garagewire.co.uk/news/bbc-watchdog-ford-ecoboost-wet-belt-problem/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260223043859/https://garagewire.co.uk/news/bbc-watchdog-ford-ecoboost-wet-belt-problem/ |archive-date=February 23, 2026 |website=garagewire.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Howard |first=Phoebe Wall |date=July 11, 2019 |title=Ford knew Focus, Fiesta models had flawed transmission, sold them anyway |url=https://www.freep.com/in-depth/money/cars/ford/2019/07/11/ford-focus-fiesta-transmission-defect/1671198001/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260221023357/https://www.freep.com/in-depth/money/cars/ford/2019/07/11/ford-focus-fiesta-transmission-defect/1671198001/ |archive-date=February 21, 2026 |website=Detroit Free Press}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 11, 2023 |title=Automatic Software Update Bricked my Truck |url=https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/automatic-software-update-bricked-my-truck.96624/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250415151514/https://www.fordraptorforum.com/threads/automatic-software-update-bricked-my-truck.96624/ |archive-date=April 15, 2025 |website=www.fordraptorforum.com}}</ref>
 **Ford has had the highest number of vehicle recalls in the U.S. in 2021, 2022, and 2023. While recall volume can be influenced by market share, larger automakers often have more recalls, it may also reflect differences in production quality compared to competitors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NHTSA Recalls by Manufacturer |url=https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260203181946/https://datahub.transportation.gov/stories/s/NHTSA-Recalls-by-Manufacturer/38mw-dp8u/ |archive-date=February 3, 2026 |website=datahub.transportation.gov}}</ref>
+====Lip-reading and facial expression detection patent application====
+Ford Global Technologies, LLC is the named applicant on patent application US 2026/0095520 A1, titled "Systems and methods for hands-free communication in convertible vehicles," published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office on April 2, 2026.<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent">{{Cite web |url=https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/20260095520 |title=Systems and methods for hands-free communication in convertible vehicles (US 2026/0095520 A1) |last=Weston |first=Keith |author2=Van Wiemeersch, John Robert |author3=Flis, Matthew |author4=Diamond, Brendan |publisher=United States Patent and Trademark Office |date=2026-04-02 |access-date=2026-04-06}}</ref> The named inventors are Keith Weston, John Robert Van Wiemeersch, Matthew Flis, and Brendan Diamond. The application was filed October 1, 2024 as application number 18/903,253. A [[:File:Ford_patent_US20260095520A1.pdf|local archive of the patent application PDF]] is hosted on this wiki.
+The application describes a vehicle that detects when it is in a convertible state (top retracted, panel removed, door removed, or sunroof open) and, if cabin noise exceeds a threshold, switches its in-vehicle communication system into an enhanced mode.<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent" /> The enhanced mode can enable a lip reading mode and a gesture and facial expression detection mode. The application states that "[t]he one or more cameras of the vehicle capture the movements of the user's lips" and that the captured video is processed using machine learning algorithms trained on datasets of lip movements.<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent-p5">{{Cite web |url=https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/20260095520 |title=Systems and methods for hands-free communication in convertible vehicles (US 2026/0095520 A1) |last=Weston |first=Keith |author2=Van Wiemeersch, John Robert |author3=Flis, Matthew |author4=Diamond, Brendan |publisher=United States Patent and Trademark Office |date=2026-04-02 |access-date=2026-04-06 |page=5}}</ref> It also describes a method in which "the vehicle may emit inaudible sound waves and analyze the echoes that bounce back from the user's lip and mouth" to detect facial movements.<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent-p5" /> Independent claim 16 recites storing in a database the association between each of a plurality of gestures and a corresponding verbal command. Dependent claim 17 adds the steps of detecting a gesture, looking up its corresponding command in the database, and executing that command.<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent-p9">{{Cite web |url=https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/20260095520 |title=Systems and methods for hands-free communication in convertible vehicles (US 2026/0095520 A1) |last=Weston |first=Keith |author2=Van Wiemeersch, John Robert |author3=Flis, Matthew |author4=Diamond, Brendan |publisher=United States Patent and Trademark Office |date=2026-04-02 |access-date=2026-04-06 |page=9}}</ref>
+The application describes storing gesture-to-command associations in a vehicle database<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent-p9" /> and transmitting generated speech or text data to the other party in a conversation,<ref name=":ford-lipread-patent-p5" /> but it does not specify whether raw lip-movement video is retained after processing, how long any captured data is kept, or whether any captured data flows to Ford's control servers or cloud infrastructure. As of the April 2, 2026 publication date, it is a published application and has not issued as a granted patent. For Ford's earlier in-vehicle data collection practices, see [[Jones v. Ford Motor Co.]].
 ==References==
 <references />
 [[Category:Ford]]