Ford CEO Jim Farley has changed his mind after discussions with U.S. policymakers and decided to restore the AM radio feature that was removed from some models.
A bill called “AM Radio in Every Car” was introduced in the U.S. Congress to require all cars to have AM radio, which is typically used for emergency broadcasts and government-to-citizen communications, but some car companies have been phasing out the feature.
Farley tweeted earlier today that after discussing the importance of AM radio as an emergency alert system with policy leaders, they decided to support the feature on all Ford and Lincoln models built in 2024. For owners of Ford electric vehicles that do not have AM Radio, they will provide a software update to address the issue.
Ford initially planned to eliminate AM radio, but lawmakers insisted it was a public safety necessity. A Ford spokeswoman said the company will still offer “alternatives” for owners who don’t have AM radio, allowing them to listen to their favorite music, news and podcasts. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said, “This is a big deal because we can’t allow companies like Tesla and Ford to exploit consumers who have been using AM radios for more than 100 years while other automakers still offer the service for free.” Tesla has also previously eliminated AM radio, explaining in a letter to Markey that the feature interferes with the design of the electric drive system. But Markey didn’t buy it, saying “technically, it costs very little to fix the interference problem.”
Ford seems to realize the importance of AM radio and its ability to alert the public in the event of a major emergency. For vehicles that currently lack this feature, restoring it would only require a software update.
