Ford: Difference between revisions
Add note on US 2026/0095520 A1 (Ford lip-reading and facial-expression detection patent application, Weston et al., pub. 2026-04-02). Cross-link to Jones v. Ford Motor Co. Local archive: File:Ford_patent_US20260095520A1.pdf. |
Add dedicated In-vehicle advertising patent subsection with link to Ford ad patent article |
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===Anti-consumer practices=== | ===Anti-consumer practices=== | ||
* | *Patents regarding consumer data | ||
**Ford has secured | **Ford has secured a patent for a system that is unrelated to core driving functions and involves vehicle repossession, allowing access restrictions in cases of missed payments. Ford has clarified that holding the patent does not necessarily mean it will be implemented in future products. However, the existence of such a system could influence consumer perceptions of the company and affect their willingness to accept certain sales terms.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Gitlin |first=Jonathan M. |date=March 2, 2023 |title=Ford files patent for system that could remotely repossess a car |url=https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/03/ford-files-patent-for-system-that-could-remotely-repossess-a-car/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260223043817/https://arstechnica.com/cars/2023/03/ford-files-patent-for-system-that-could-remotely-repossess-a-car/ |archive-date=February 23, 2026 |website=Ars Technica}}</ref> | ||
*Engineering practices | *Engineering practices | ||
**Ford suffered a significant hit to its reputation regarding the Pinto, a car the company sold through the entire 1970's decade and the company's first subcompact. A number of high-profile incidents happened involving the cars getting rear-ended and subsequently lighting on fire due to the fuel tank rupturing and spilling gas; in subsequent lawsuits and criminal cases, Ford was accused of knowing the cars had a defect and deciding not to fix it based on an internal cost-benefit analysis that supposedly found it far cheaper to settle the lawsuits than actually fix the defect. | **Ford suffered a significant hit to its reputation regarding the Pinto, a car the company sold through the entire 1970's decade and the company's first subcompact. A number of high-profile incidents happened involving the cars getting rear-ended and subsequently lighting on fire due to the fuel tank rupturing and spilling gas; in subsequent lawsuits and criminal cases, Ford was accused of knowing the cars had a defect and deciding not to fix it based on an internal cost-benefit analysis that supposedly found it far cheaper to settle the lawsuits than actually fix the defect. | ||
**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> | **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> | **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> | ||
====In-vehicle advertising patent==== | |||
In February 2023, Ford filed United States patent application number 20240289844, titled "In-Vehicle Advertisement Presentation Systems and Methods."<ref name=":fordadpatent-justia">{{Cite web |date=23 Feb 2023 |title=IN-VEHICLE ADVERTISEMENT PRESENTATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS |url=https://patents.justia.com/patent/20240289844 |url-status=live |access-date=29 Mar 2025 |website=Justia Patents |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250708193151/https://patents.justia.com/patent/20240289844 |archive-date=8 Jul 2025}}</ref> The application describes a system that combines historical user data with audio signals from inside the vehicle to serve personalized advertisements through the human-machine interface, monitoring conversations between occupants to decide when, how many, and in what format to present ads.<ref name=":fordadpatent-justia" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Smalley |first=Suzanne |date=September 9, 2024 |title=Ford seeks patent for tech that listens to driver conversations to serve ads |url=https://therecord.media/ford-patent-application-in-vehicle-listening-advertising |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260101115700/https://therecord.media/ford-patent-application-in-vehicle-listening-advertising |archive-date=January 1, 2026 |website=therecord.media}}</ref> The patent overview states that "such systems and methods further provide the opposite force to a user's natural inclination to seek minimal or no ads."<ref name=":fordadpatent-justia" /> Vehicle location and navigation data would be used to infer the user's residence or workplace and to select ads tied to commercial locations along the driver's route; current traffic data could trigger increased ad delivery during longer trips spent in congestion.<ref name=":fordadpatent-justia" /> For the full incident article, see [[Ford ad patent]]. | |||
====Lip-reading and facial expression detection patent application==== | ====Lip-reading and facial expression detection patent application==== | ||