Quality Control
As a major automotive manufacturer, one of the biggest challenges is keeping up with quality while constantly expanding the business and production capabilities. As production grows, the margin for error decreases; Ford’s been a victim of quality control issues over the past few years, with dozens of recalls and quality issues plaguing the brand.
These recalls aren’t just a PR or image issue, but every time a model needs to be recalled, there are subsequent costs for the brand that need to be incurred to correct them, and depending on the severity of the issue, fines might also be handed down apart from the expense of fixing the problem. In short, it all adds up. Thankfully, Ford wants to address the problem by hiring an industry expert to right the ship.
Ford
NHTSA Veteran
The Detroit News reports that Ford Motor Co. just acquired the services of a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) veteran, David Hines. Hines will step into the Chief Auto Safety Officer Role within the company and will report directly to  Steve Croley, Ford’s chief policy officer and general counsel. Additionally, Hines will be based out of Washington, D.C., as opposed to the company’s HQ in Dearborn, Michigan.
His primary role as the company’s new safety officer is to head an expansive inter-departmental team that includes digital design, engineering, software, purchasing, quality, and manufacturing. Overall, Hines will oversee Ford’s global product safety compliance, governance, and corporate strategy. His hiring comes as Ford aims to curb the brand’s recall and safety issues, since it leads all manufacturers in the U.S. when it comes to recalls.
Most recently, the brand is under strict federal monitoring after a $165 million fine for delaying a recall concerning rear-view cameras; that fine is the second-largest in NHTSA history, and Ford’s largest ever. The decision to hand down the fine came after it was determined that Ford was too slow to recall the 600,000 affected vehicles and provided inaccurate safety data to regulators. Currently, as of August 2026, Ford has already issued 64 recalls affecting over 13 million cars, more than double its biggest competitor, Stellantis. Some of the recalls stretch as far back as models built and sold in 2018.
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Experience on Both Sides
David Hines’ value is also measured by the fact that he had previously worked for the company. During his 30-year automotive industry journey, he had a stint at Ford working as an on-site design engineer and helped develop the short-lived Ford 500 sedan and Freestyle crossover.
After Ford, he spent 13 years with the NHTSA, his most recent position being the director of the Office of Crash Avoidance Standards. During his time, he helped implement and develop the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and contributed to vital research into Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).
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