From USA Today 6-6-07
Ford grabs honors in 2007 vehicle quality rankings
By Sharon Silke Carty, USA TODAY
DETROIT — Ford Motor (F) was the only domestic automaker to rank above the industry average on J.D. Power's annual Initial Quality Study, released Wednesday.
Lincoln, Mercury and Ford brands, all owned by Ford Motor, had fewer than average problems per 100 vehicles. Lincoln broke into the top three, up from 12th place last year.
"It's great to have this affirmation from the customers who drive our cars and trucks every day," said Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas.
The influential consumer survey asks buyers to rate their vehicles 90 days after purchase. Quality issues are broken down into two categories — physical defects, which can be fixed at the dealership, and design defects, which are problems that make the car harder or unpleasant to use.
Porsche held on to its No. 1 rank for the second year after catapulting to the top from the 32nd spot two years ago. Lexus remained in second place, and Hyundai, which was in the top three a year ago, fell to 12th place.
While other automakers have stumbled when introducing new cars — about 48% of reported problems came on all-new or redesigned vehicles — Ford's new lineup was received well, said Neal Oddes, of product research and analysis at J.D. Power and Associates.
Fourteen Ford vehicles were considered among the top three best vehicles in their segment, Oddes said, "an achievement unmatched by any other corporation this year, which is a testament to the improvement in quality for Ford Motor vehicle models and plants."
Ironically, Ford's Wixom, Mich., plant won the Platinum Plant Quality Award for producing vehicles with the fewest defects — an award that hasn't gone to a North American plant since 1999. The last Lincoln Town car rolled off the Wixom plant assembly line last week, and the plant is being shuttered.
Among the survey results:
Mercedes-Benz made the biggest improvement for a nameplate, jumping 20 spots to take fifth place. "All the models on all their lines have improved on the defect side as well as on the design side," Oddes said.
General Motors led three segment categories, with both the Pontiac Grand Prix named best large car and the Chevrolet Silverado named best large pickup for the second year in a row.
Ford's Land Rover brand showed improvement, but it still came in last place. Last year, consumers reported 204 problems for every 100 vehicles. This year, there were only 170 problems.
All three of Toyota's brands — Lexus, Toyota and Scion — ranked above the industry average. Toyota vehicles grabbed 13 top three rankings in the segment awards.