Ford is bringing in National Highway Traffic Safety Administration veteran David Hines as its new Chief Auto Safety Officer, a move aimed at addressing the automaker’s ongoing recall and quality-control challenges.
Ford Brings in NHTSA Safety Veteran
The Detroit News reports that Ford Motor Co. has hired Hines, who will report directly to Steve Croley, Ford’s chief policy officer and general counsel. Hines will be based in Washington, D.C., rather than Ford’s headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan.
In his new position, Hines will lead an expansive inter-departmental team spanning digital design, engineering, software, purchasing, quality and manufacturing. He will oversee Ford’s global product safety compliance, governance and corporate strategy.
The appointment comes as Ford seeks to curb its recall and safety problems. The automaker currently leads all manufacturers in the U.S. in the number of recalls.
Ford Faces Major Recall and Safety Challenges
Ford’s quality-control problems have resulted in dozens of recalls and other quality issues in recent years. Beyond the impact on the company’s image, each recall creates additional costs associated with correcting the underlying problem, while more serious cases can also result in fines.
Ford is currently under strict federal monitoring following a $165 million fine related to delays in a recall involving rear-view cameras. The penalty is the second-largest in NHTSA history and the largest ever imposed on Ford.
The fine followed a determination that Ford was too slow to recall 600,000 affected vehicles and had provided inaccurate safety data to regulators.
As of August 2026, Ford has issued 64 recalls affecting more than 13 million cars. That total is more than double the number associated with its biggest competitor, Stellantis. Some of the recalls involve models built and sold as far back as 2018.
David Hines Brings Experience From Ford and NHTSA
Hines also brings previous experience at Ford to the role. Over a 30-year career in the automotive industry, he spent time at the company as an on-site design engineer, where he helped develop the Ford 500 sedan and Freestyle crossover.
After leaving Ford, Hines spent 13 years with the NHTSA. His most recent position there was director of the Office of Crash Avoidance Standards.
During his NHTSA tenure, Hines helped implement and develop the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and contributed to research into Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, or ADAS.
His experience on both sides of the automotive safety system now places him in charge of Ford’s global product safety compliance, governance and corporate strategy as the company works to address its recall and quality-control issues.
