Ford now the highest-quality car manufacturer
It wasn’t too long ago – maybe ten years, maybe five, maybe two – when people would’ve laughed had you said Ford made a quality car.
Perhaps it was a mix of things. Decades of lemons. A reputation that American manufacturers take nothing but shortcuts. Bumper stickers like this.
But maybe the turnaround is now complete for Ford, the one Big Three automaker that didn’t file for bankruptcy protection this past recession.
Yes, Ford is back in a big way in 2010, now ranking tops in quality for the company’s first time in 24 years.
A new J.D. Power and Associates study of initial quality showed this week that, among non-luxury automakers, Ford tops all automakers in driver feedback after 90 days of vehicle ownership.
“The blue oval is becoming synonymous with high quality,” a Ford exec told the Star yesterday.
Now, three months of quality isn’t exactly the argument to woo “Yeah, but let’s see how it is five years down the road” Ford sceptics, but the automaker’s position in the closely-monitored J.D. Power survey is a landmark moment in Ford’s transition.
It is, unlike Toyota, a manufacturer on the rise – earning trust among North American car buyers.
Meanwhile, while Toyota’s fall has been well-documented, now it’s been quantified. According to the J.D. Power survey, Toyota tumbled from 7th to 21st place in initial quality.
Does this sound right to everyone? Could Ford - not Toyota - really be the most dependable non-luxury automaker right now?
Ford buyers: do your recent Ford purchases reflect this change in quality?
By Jason Buckland, MSN Money
Posted by: Brian | Jun 19, 2021 12:41:24 AM
I purchased a 2009 Ford Focus last year its been a great car no problems at all, good fuel economy.
Posted by: Henry Eckstein | Jun 20, 2021 11:04:34 PM
LOOOOOVE their Super Duty trucks like F-350 and F-450!
Can't wait to do a custom job on a new Ford F-450 Super-Duty King Ranch Edition
with Dual Wheels in the back and the complete TOW package, all leather seats,
premium interior and high-end 18-speaker 256 Gigabyte Flash Memory drive-based
sound system WITH 11" touch-screen GPS-Maps/Music/Internet/Computer display
PLUS a built in drink refrigerator to make those long drives feel like a holiday!
I'll be blueprinting the engine - putting in ceramic piston liners
and titanium arms and shafts plus adding twin turbos with
custom drive chain to bring her up to 1000 Horsepower
and 1000 foot/pounds of torque.
I'll then do a custom paint job in Deep Royal Blue with twin
white racing stripes with 20 coats of lacquer to really make it shine.
Twin winches on BOTH front and back, 5 million candlepower fog lights,
custom polished-gold finish TITANIUM bush bars and high strength rollbars
and a 7mm undercoat of durable, fireproof & soundproofing Rhino-Liner for
the ENTIRE truck underbelly, truck bed and engine bay will complete the
ULTIMATE heavy duty truck!
Yup! Ford sure has come a long way....and I'll definitely be taking advantage of
that new-found quality rating!
Posted by: gerry | Jun 21, 2021 9:16:15 AM
I have a F350 , never again!! The repairs are astronomical ! 62 thausend miles and a 4800,00 dollar repair job!!! Shame,shame shame! This truck makes any other prduct on the market look good!!
Posted by: D Rob | Jun 21, 2021 9:20:44 AM
Hopefully when new buyers do have a problem they will actually get warranty instead of the run around. I bought a 2003 Ford F150 that was less than 5 years old and within a year the hood paint was peeling. When I asked for warranty the local dealer just laughed at me and said good luck with that. I didn't pursue it for very long simply because of the attitude that was shown towards me. I simply decided that I wouldn't buy another Ford for a long time and if I ever do it definitely won't be from the local dealer. Sad thing is.... that dealership just one a service award from Ford. Tells you a lot about those awards!
Posted by: Rodney | Jun 21, 2021 9:50:19 AM
My 2007 F-150 is a money pit. I would expect a $48,000 truck to make it more than 57,000 Km before needing a major overhaul which Ford won't cover under warranty claiming it was due to wear and tear no component failure!!
Add to that my company diesel that shot flames from the exhaust...Guess the quality is so high thats why they are on their third attempt at a diesel engine...oh wait...they are already having problems with it as well.
This study is clearly flawed
Posted by: Jeff | Jun 21, 2021 9:50:37 AM
Most cars don't fail after 3 months, just as the article says, the difference is how how many times your car has needed repairs beyond basic maintence in 4 years. My Civic is going on 8 years without a single need for repair. How many of the Big 3 vehicle owners can say that? Thats what I thought.
Posted by: mike | Jun 21, 2021 10:10:01 AM
i bought a dodge caravan, and it only ran 70,000km and i've got several big repairs. everything started falling apart! this is the 1st american car i've ever purchased and this will be the last one. my experience: american cars are garbage! shame, shame, shame! no comparison with the japanese cars. not at the same level at all. as for the issues being cooked by american media, i don't care and i don't believe them.
Posted by: larry boomhour | Jun 21, 2021 10:11:09 AM
The 2010 ford escapes had a recall last month which I learned from a friend.I never got notified by ford and had to check with my dealer myself.Sure enough my 2010 escape was on the recall list.
Maybe the next time i will never know about a recall
Posted by: adam | Jun 21, 2021 10:24:08 AM
At my house hold in the last 8 years we have had 2 Taurus' 2 Freestars, 2 Escapes, a silverado, an ion and a honda crv. Most were leased company vehicles that saw high milage (hence so many vehicles) but the worst vehicle hands down for issues is the Honda. All the fords were perfect, the silverado never had an issue and the ion has been beaten to hell and still survives. The Honda is garage kept and goes to the dealer for repairs and it still sucks. Alternater died after 4 years and 40k, brakes were shot at 15 AND 40k. When I buy my next vehicle it will be American. I love my GM and Ford is a close second. You just need to treat your vehicle with repect and pay attention. To many people now adays beat on their cars and don't pay attention to the damage they cause. Its mechanical IT WILL NEED REPAIRS.
Posted by: Adrian Nunes | Jun 21, 2021 10:41:05 AM
I have a 2005 Toyota Highlander with 210,000 KM, never had a problem. All I have had to do is regular maintenance, which has been very affordable. American media and politicians want us to believe that imports are lousy and Big Three are great. That is a lot of propaganda. I have had a few G.M. and a couple of Ford vehicles in my life, but that is in the past. I will never trust Detroit to (1) make quality that stands up; and (2) to know anything about customer satisfaction. They always need a few visits to fix the most basic of problems. Ford, G.M., Chrysler, no thank you.
Posted by: Roy | Jun 21, 2021 11:19:24 AM
Ford engines are garbage as I have heard so many stories of major rebuilds with just 100,000 miles. I have owned many Chrysler and GM vehicles and can say nothing but positive things about them. One post talks about the media's push to support the Big 3, but I believe that there has been nothing but unjustified negative press on their vehicles while praising the virtues of Imports that are no more reliable, not from my experience.
Posted by: Alex Richard | Jun 21, 2021 12:08:22 PM
We bought a 2008 Tacoma last year and have had no problems. Prior to that the last of 3 GM's I had was a 1990 Buick Regal. We loved the car design but it was a money pit. They blamed me for the fact that it had to have the rear disc brakes replaced every 18 months because they would seize on or off. GM's lack of respect for customers turned me away. My 96 F150 was a gas hog. I do not trust the American politicians or the American press with their biased opinions of Toyota. The unfortunate oil crisis in the gulf has given them another issue and another foreign company to degrade. By the way my Tacoma was built in California by Americans at the joint GM/Toyota plant that had to close when GM went bankrupt. This shows me that the North American auto worker is very capable of building a great vehicle. the problem seems to be the management of the big three and their corporate greed that prevents the workers from building similar vehicles. I hope that Ford has come back to Quality is Job 1, but I will wait and see.
Posted by: ken koffman | Jun 21, 2021 12:10:52 PM
I DON'T KNOW WHERE THESE SURVEYS COME FROM, BUT YOU CAN BE SURE OF ONE THING, THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT ACCURATE.
FORD MAY BE #1 IN A LOT OF AREAS, SUCH AS: HIGH REPAIR COSTS, LOW RESIDUAL VALUES, AND POOR QUALITY.
IF YOU WANT A GREAT CAR THAT WILL LAST, HOLD IT'S VALUE, AND HAVE VERY REASONABLE REPAIR COSTS OVER TIME, AND WILL PROBABLY LAST ONE AND A HALF TIMES LONGER, BUY:
1. HONDA
2. TOYOTA
3. ANY OTHER JAPANESE MADE CAR.
K. KOFFMAN - RETIRED AUTOMOBILE GENERAL SALES MANAGER ( 32 YEARS )
Posted by: Ron NIcholson | Jun 21, 2021 12:14:15 PM
Own a 2006 Ford 500 SEL, best car we have ever driven or owned, 35mpg CDN gallon, rides like a Lincoln,
spacious, comfortable, only one recall other than normal service as prescribed by Ford, at 57,000 klm still on original brakes, will buy another Ford, have owned several.
Posted by: FordDude | Jun 21, 2021 12:35:32 PM
The people posting here forget that its saying "2010", your probably complaining about your purchases prior to the new models.
Bought a brand new 20009 F150, has been awesome, just a traction control module needed replaced, other then that nothing. Gets 100KMs to 10Litres of fuel :P Cant complain for a full size V8
The surveys are for new models, not prior to 2009, so stop telling stories about a five year old vehicle
Also its asking NEW PURCHASERS fo their opinion, not old ones
Posted by: Casey | Jun 21, 2021 12:49:26 PM
The biggest problem I see is not the vehicles as all car companies have issues.
Its how the issues are dealt with by the auto makers and their dealer net works.
The import manufactures and dealers care alot more about their customers!
Posted by: Jay | Jun 21, 2021 12:55:37 PM
So many post here have not answered the question that was asked. However in saying that the question is a little difficult to answer.....Ford buyers: do your recent Ford purchases reflect this change in quality?
Recent meaning in the last couple years I presume? Many people base the quality of a vehicle over a period of 2-3 years but knowledgeable users will base this over a period of 5 or more, a couple years after the car has been paid off for most. I use to own a Honda Civic and was pleased in that it never had any major problems. A Quality car because it met or exceeded the expectations of the customer.
I purchased a Ford Edge SEL (after a lot of research and talking to the right individuals) in November and have been Very pleased thus far, HOWEVER I cannot say it is a quality vehicle yet because it hasn't been that long since I've had the car.
If you speak with most unbiased individuals they will tell you that Ford HAS made impressive strides in the putting out a quality product, and that they have made an effort to change the way they operate. But are they the best when it comes to quality? Like the sceptic said in the article "Yeah, but let’s see how it is five years down the road”. Hopefully FORD can continue to prove them wrong......if not......Back to a Honda for this kid.
Posted by: Dale Desjardins | Jun 21, 2021 1:05:20 PM
I have a 2002 Ford taurus with 210,000 kls that has never been in a repair shop yet , still a good running , good rideing , dependable car . I also have a 2007 E-350 superduty that i run deliveries with that has 302,000 kls that also has never been in a repair shop yet . I have driven Fords for 33 years and have nothing to complain about . The only resone that the asian cars may have been better quality at one time is because they had never mass produced them until the past 7 or 8 years and now that their trying to mass produce they are haveing the same problems the big three went through 10 or 15 years ago . Give them another 10 or 15 years and they may be where the big three are now , but they will always be behind the big three in Quality and design . Personally their is not a asian car out there that i would be caught in . I once went to lease a car because my Ford was stolen and all they had was this hyundai , i said no thanks i will walk , give me a call when you have a real car .
Posted by: Dale Desjardins | Jun 21, 2021 1:10:52 PM
Casey says these import dealers care more about there customers , i guess thats why they sell a car that the throttle sticks and their are problems with the brakes and lie about the problem being fixed when it is not and not . BECAUSE THEY CARE ALOT MORE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS ?
Posted by: Richard | Jun 21, 2021 1:19:20 PM
Bought New 2010 F-150 XTR 4x4 XLT. Approx 1 month old 4000 ks and the accelerator failed and you guessed it, wile I was crossing 3 lanes of traffic. Made it across whooh close. Ford replaced entire pedal assembly. I have this documented if this happens to any one else,causing injury or death. Post to this site as wanted. Toyota your in good company.