Ford Quality Almost Tied With Honda and Toyota. Or Not.
What’s with Ford and these quality studies? Not for the the first time, Ford has commissioned its own study on relative vehicle quality– you know, initial vehicle quality– and come out on top. Ish. You know; a “statistical dead heat.” Or, to be more or less precise, “With a combined average of 1,284 things-gone-wrong (TGW) per 1,000 vehicles during the first three months of ownership, Ford’s domestic brands improved 8 percent versus last year. This performance is statistically equivalent to the 1,250 TGW level of Honda/Acura and Toyota/Lexus/Scion.” Of course, you have to read all the way to the end, and Google a bit, to see that this PR exercise is Ford-subsidized. “The 2008 model-year GQRS survey, conducted for Ford by RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, Mich., solicits feedback on vehicle trouble and customer satisfaction from owners of all major makes and models after three months in service.” [JD Powers’ Initial Quality Survey results here.] Anyway, it’s all for one, and One Ford for all: “This is One Ford at its best,” claims Bennie Fowler, Ford group vice president, Global Quality. “It’s taken thousands of people continuously working together with laser-like focus every day to boost vehicle quality for our customers to [just about] the top of the pack.”
More by Robert Farago
Comments
Join the conversation
Initial Quality surveys are pretty much useless. I've personally had serious problems with both Toyotas and Hyundais... and the dealership experience was equally as rotten. I've had very good luck with VWs and Volvos, which typically rank very low (though VW dealers also stink, the cars haven't needed much servicing.) I've personally never owned a Ford, but my parents have had several, which I guess they've been happy with since they always have at least one in their garage. Anyhoo... I consider JDP the equivalent of Consumer Reports. It provides some shred of information on which to base a judgement. And there is some value to that I spose. But it hasn't really been a good gauge for me.
P_71 - Considering "Expy's" (I assume Expeditions) don't even have decals, I find your comment of them peeling off a little bit suspect. Also, if your company has managed to destroy all of those vehicles with such low mileage, it might be worth looking at who is driving them.
Is it reaching too far back to mention the 1969 Ford Country Squire station wagon with the glued-on faux wood lathing and shelf paper plastered upon the vertical surfaces with a mighty 390 beating under the hood? The old man bought it used in 1970 solely for the annual trip from California to see the kinfolk in their shantys back in rural Nebraska (granny lived in town but still had an outhouse). In 1972 he sold it to a neighbor where, a couple months later, a gas leak near the carburetor led to a fire that totaled the conveyance. Neighbor wanted his money back. The old man told him that's what he gor for buying a used car and for buying a Ford. He thereupon jumped into the 1965 VW Bug he had bought new and putted away. The Bug never caught fire. The 1972-1/2 Datsun Lil' Hustler pick-em-up bought new never caught fire, either. It sold for top dollar as a used vehicle. There's gotta' be a moral in there somewhere.
They all make junk but as for the Tempo Topaz mine had 300,000KM before an accident took it out. Even Ford haters new it was a tough little car, Poor ball joints though. My F150 94 has 500,000 KM and is worthless but still going strong. The wife has a 02 focus has had some minor issues but excellent after 345,000KM. My friends with Honda and Toyota have not been any better and none of them have the KM's that my fords have. Now my Dodge Diesel Pickup was a total disaster and it will do my heart well to see Chrysler bite the dust as I promised them I would do for the terrible treatment. Looks good on you Chrysler.