“Increasing Risk of a Crash”: Ford Stock (NYSE:F) Notches Down on Huge New Recall

It was almost starting to feel strange, as legacy automaker Ford (F) has not had a recall lately. That development turned around, though, as Ford launched a massive recall of close to 1.1 million Ford and Lincoln vehicles. This latest massive recall did surprisingly little to impact Ford shareholders, though, as they just sent shares down fractionally in Wednesday afternoon’s trading.

The problem traces back to a “software problem” in the rearview camera, reports note. The problem is that the camera might freeze while the car is in reverse, and instead of a continuously-updating video feed, will instead display a static image. Which, if you have ever used a rearview camera before, is about the last thing you want to have happen, and will also “…increase…the risk of a crash,” noted officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

While there have been no injuries connected to the software as yet, as far as Ford is aware, one “minor crash resulting in property damage” has already occurred. Ford will be updating the camera software either via remote, over-the-air update or at a dealership. Ford vehicles impacted by this include Broncos, Edges and F-150 pickups from 2021 to 2024, Expeditions from 2022 to 2024, Transit vans from 2022 to 2025, Mach-E Mustangs from 2021 to 2023, Rangers and Mustangs from 2024, and Escapes, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550 and F-600 pickups from 2023 and 2024.

A CEO in Self-Doubt

Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley, recently took to the stage at Portsmouth Abbey School in Rhode Island. Farley, an alumnus of the school in question, addressed the crowd, suggesting they should “find their values and live by them.” But perhaps more importantly, Farley also addressed an issue that a lot of people will face in their career: self-doubt.

When Farley was offered the CEO slot at Ford, he noted, he, unsurprisingly, was unsure if he could do the job. Then he remembered his father, who tried to be CEO of a large bank, but never got offered the slot. So Farley, essentially, looked at the matter and decided he did not want to give up that which his father had tried so hard to land, and failed. Thus Farley noted that the job may not work out, and “…I had to be all right with that.”

Is Ford Stock a Good Buy Right Now?

Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on F stock based on two Buys, 12 Holds and three Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After a 10.81% loss in its share price over the past year, the average F price target of $9.71 per share implies 4.76% downside risk.

See more F analyst ratings

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