"That's Right, I Said It. Ford Motor Co. Will Be the Quality Leader"
Henry Ford said "You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do." Someone forgot to tell Bennie Fowler, Ford's group vice president of global quality. The Detroit News reports that Fowler stepped up to the microphone in front of his peers and started playing the dozens with the quality king. "In a direct challenge to Toyota… Fowler told industry leaders at the Center for Automotive Research's annual Management Briefing Seminars that new European- designed compacts and subcompacts such as the Fiesta and Focus will roll off the line with an average of 800 things gone wrong per 1,000 vehicles." If Fowler can meet that ambitious target, it would place Ford's quality above Toyota's– at least in this metric. Yes, well, apparently The Blue Oval Boyz are headed for one of those fist-pumping moments. "This time, we're playing for all the marbles — and we aim to win." Note to Bennie: must follow Crazy Henry's dictates. Such as, "Quality means doing it right when no one is looking."
More by Robert Farago
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What happened to the cheerleader pics?
Big Ford boast. Better is performance than smoke. Cars will be downsized like it or not to become more fuel efficient. Ford Fusion CD is .33. Toyota Camry .28. That is a major engineering difference for Ford and same for the rest of Detroit. Aero bricks are out. AXOD quality wasn't addressed timely. Typical Ford/Detroit response. The last in the family is the AX4N in my 05 Sable. Good 4 speed tranny. Typical buyer also doesn't bother with servicing. Big mistake, then bitch when it fails. My DIY interval is max 20k or when color test white paper towel shows significant discoloration. Same for the 05 Accord V6. Honda did away with the filter. Only a non servicable strainer for diagnostics. Drain plug same as oil pan. No pan to remove, gasket, filter. Ford owner for many years. Fix Or Repair Daily. Ford has a long way to go to match Honda.
Imports are overrated. I bought a 335i coupe only after the transmission in my 2002 honda accord coupe died after 101K miles - right outside of the extended warranty. Would Honda sub the costs? NO. My 1997 Isuzu Rodeo...ERRRRR....Honda Passport's transmission died at 41K miles - right outside of the 36K mile warranty. Would Honda sub the costs? NO. My Dad's 1996 and 1997 Lincoln Mark VIII's are running like a charm. I know the sample size is small here, but from these conclusions, I could suggest that Fords quality is better than Honda's.