As Ford CEO Jim Farley Talks About Shortage Of Mechanics, This TikTok User Says There’s A Debt Problem: ‘They Just Financially Can’t’ – Ford Motor (NYSE:F)
Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F) CEO Jim Farley says there’s a shortage of mechanics and repair technicians in the U.S. as users on social media highlight a debt problem.
400,000 Repair Technician Shortages, Average Repair Time Is Two Weeks
Farley, in an interview with Yahoo Finance last week, said that the Michigan-based automaker was facing a critical shortage of repair technicians. “At Ford, we have… probably 400,000 repair technician shortages across the economy,” Farley said, adding that factors like permits and regulations, as well as “society’s view,” have affected the availability of technicians.
“This morning when I woke up, there were 6,000 bays in our [Ford] dealerships with no technicians,” Farley said, adding that the average waiting time for repairs at Ford was two weeks. He also highlighted that despite reaching a deal with the UAW following a strike at Ford’s factory, most entry-level workers were working “three jobs.”
They Just Financially Can’t Work, Says A User On TikTok
Following Farley’s comments, @jluis___, a TikTok user shared his thoughts on the social media platform on Friday. “To become a mechanic, you gotta take up trade school… You gotta take out debt to pay for the trade school,” Luis said in the video, adding that you also need work experience as employers avoid technicians fresh out of school.
“You find a position… let’s say at a Ford dealership, they wanna pay the tech $19/hour, $21/hour,” he said. “People want to do these things, they just financially can’t,” Luis said.
Ford’s Recall Woes, Jim Farley Says Company Improving Costs
The news comes as Ford has issued several recalls in 2025 affecting a variety of vehicles in their lineup. Recently, the company issued a recall for 115,000 F-250, 350 and 450 Pickup trucks over a steering column issue. Ford also recalled more than a million vehicles over issues with the vehicles’ rear cameras.
Meanwhile, Farley had recently said that the company, which incurred billions in Tariff impacts, was improving its costs when compared to rivals like General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) as the automaker cut over $1 billion in costs.
Ford’s EV Incentive Extension, Affordable Loans
The company also reportedly extended incentives on EVs by paying a small down payment to dealers via its financing arm on or before September 30, which qualified the vehicles for the EV credit. Ford is one of multiple automakers offering benefits on EVs.
The company also announced it was offering affordable loans to individuals with subprime credit (FICO scores below 620) on the F-150 pickup trucks in an effort to push more sales and move inventory off the dealership lots.
Ford scores well on the Momentum and Value metrics, while offering satisfactory Growth and Quality. Ford also offers a favorable price trend in the Short, Medium and Long term. For more such insights, sign up for Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings today!
Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
Read Next:
Photo courtesy: Tada Images / Shutterstock.com