Ford is bringing a new feature to its vehicles that enables customers to give instantaneous feedback to the Michigan-based automaker.
The company added the feature, dubbed "Record Feedback," to a total of roughly 300,000 vehicles so far. Vehicles in the U.S. that already have it include select model years of the 2021-2023 Mustang Mach-E, 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning, 2022-2024 Expedition, 2021-2024 Edge and 2024 Navigator, Ford said.
When activated, it works by recording and relaying whatever feedback that a customer has chosen to express verbally to Ford while also pulling certain vehicle-related data, the company said. Owners can initiate it via a button on the onboard screen in the car.
Someone accessing the "Record Feedback" feature (Credit: Ford Motor Company) (Ford Motor Company)
Ford has plans for further expansion of "Record Feedback" next year. People with 2023 vehicles spanning 11 Ford and Lincoln lines and many 2024 model year cars coming off the factory lines will start having the technology incorporated then, the company said.
The feature will help enable Ford engineers to "channel customer impressions into fast tracked over-the-air updates for existing vehicles or in plant changes for new vehicle builds, allowing the engineers to improve the drive experience without waiting for the next model year," according to Ford.
The "Record Feedback" feature in action (Credit: Ford Motor Company) (Ford Motor Company)
The company said "Record Feedback" has already come in handy for solving an issue experienced by a Ford owner. Commentary from a user and accompanying data contributed to Ford quickly fixing an update-related glitch that had "caused Apple phones to disconnect the pairing list" for accessing a car via mobile phone.
Ford first started making its "Phone As A Key" technology an option for customers several years ago.
The corporate logo of Ford is seen at Brussels Motor Show, Belgium January 9, 2020. (REUTERS/Francois Lenoir / Reuters Photos)
Earlier this month, the company reported a total of nearly 1.66 million vehicles have been sold since the start of the year, including nearly 150,000 last month.
That data came after Ford said in late October it saw $43.8 billion worth of total third-quarter revenues, marking an 11% increase year-over-year from the $39.39 billion in the same three-month period last year. Its net income came in at $1.2 billion.