— Ford backup camera problems which caused a recall have now cost Ford $165 million for not following federal recall requirements.
Ford announced a backup camera recall in September 2020 for more than 620,000 of these vehicles in the U.S.
- 2020 Ford F-150
- 2020 Ford F-250
- 2020 Ford F-350
- 2020 Ford F-450
- 2020 Ford F-550
- 2020 Ford Explorer
- 2020 Ford Mustang
- 2020 Ford Transit
- 2020 Ford Expedition
- 2020 Ford Escape
- 2020 Ford Ranger
- 2020 Ford Edge
- 2020 Lincoln Nautilus
- 2020 Lincoln Corsair
- 2020 Lincoln MKX
Ford said the camera problem was caused by faulty electrical conductivity in the backup camera printed circuit board.
Supplied by Magna Electronics, the backup camera seemed to work part-time which left a driver guessing what was behind the vehicle.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation nearly a year after the Ford backup camera recall was announced.
According to NHTSA, Ford failed to issue the rearview camera recall "in a timely manner and failed to provide accurate and complete recall information as required by the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act."
The penalty of $165 million is not the only thing Ford must face due to its recall failures, as NHTSA requires a third party to babysit Ford to ensure no regulations are ignored.
The consent order also mandates that Ford build a special image lab for low voltage electronics, and the automaker must create a system to track vehicle components based on vehicle identification numbers (VINs).
Ford must also make changes to its recall processes and analyze all recalls from the last three years to determine if the recalls should be upgraded or expanded.
In the past 54 years, only airbag manufacturer Takata has paid penalties larger than $165 million.