Consumer Reports: Ford Is "World Class"

Only Detroit Automaker to Be Ranked High on Magazine's Reliability Survey; Scion, Other Asian Brands Rated Tops Overall

(CBS/AP)  Ford is the only Big Three automaker to be cited by Consumer Reports as producing cars with "world class reliability," according to the magazine's latest survey.

Asian brands again dominated the magazine's 2009 Annual Car Reliability Survey, with eight of the top 10 brands from Japanese and Korean companies. But several Ford Motor Co. models were as dependable - or better - than the industry's best, scoring above perennial leaders Honda and Toyota.

Consumer Reports found that 90 percent (or 46 out of 51) of Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles had average or better reliability.

"Ford is definitely doing something right," said Rik Paul, the magazine's automotive editor.

Ford Makes Strides in Reliability Ratings

Brands from Chrysler and General Motors, on the other hand, continued to struggle, with Chrysler coming up last among 33 brands sold in the U.S.

Asian brands have scored best in the survey for years. The magazine said Toyota's Scion small-car brand topped the reliability list for the second year in a row.

Honda, Toyota, Infiniti and Acura rounded out the top five. Ford's Mercury, finishing at 10, was the only Detroit brand to rank in the top tier.

The Ford brand finished 16th, and Lincoln finished 20th, largely due to higher-end models - many with all-wheel-drive - scoring below average in reliability, said Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports' senior automotive engineer.

"Those types of problems are keeping them from being truly world class," Fisher said.

Bennie Fowler, Ford's vice president of global quality, said the company is applying the same methods that worked with the Fusion and other models to the ones that didn't perform as well. The company constantly listens to customer complaints and tracks warranty claims to improve quality, he said.

"We know that the quality levels today have to be greater tomorrow," he said.

Of the 48 models with top reliability scores, 36 are from Asian automakers: Toyota (18), Honda (8), Nissan (4), and three each from Hyundai/Kia and Subaru.

The findings, released today, are based on surveys taken in March by magazine or online subscribers who own or lease 1.4 million vehicles. Based on those responses, Consumer Reports predicted the reliability of 2010 models.

Among family sedans, Ford's 4-cylinder Fusion and the Mercury Milan ranked higher than all other models except for Toyota's Prius. The Ford cars outscored Honda's Accord and Toyota's Camry, the two top-selling cars in America, "which many people view as the paradigms of reliability," Paul said.

The Lincoln MKZ also topped rivals in its class, the Acura TL and Lexus ES, but other Lincoln models fared less well.

The least reliable vehicle, Volkswagen's Touareg, is 27 times more likely to have a problem than the most reliable car, Honda's Insight hybrid, according to the magazine.

Among GM cars, 20 of 48 models surveyed had average reliability scores.

One third of Chrysler's models were much worse than average in reliability.

Last year Consumer Reports said it could not recommend any Chrysler product. However, this year the editors said they could recommend the redesigned, four-wheel-drive Dodge Ram 1500 pickup.

Paul said automakers often can only make quality improvements when new models come out, and those have been few for Chrysler in the last two years.

"Hopefully for them, when they do release new models, they will still have the same level of quality that we saw in the Ram," he said.

The Consumer Reports survey also found that higher-priced cars aren't necessarily more reliable than less-expensive ones. Inexpensive small cars and midsize family sedans were the most reliable in the survey, which questions subscribers about 17 potential problem areas.

Complete results will be in Consumer Reports' December issue (due out Nov. 2), or can be accessed by subscribers on the Consumer Reports Web site.

[justron]

I was in a cab that had 960,000 one transmission, replacement. I have 2-99's Fords 190k miles total, one spark plug and coil. 1-98 79k. Wonder why, cabs, limos, hwy patrol, county cars are Fords. I wonder why they are 5 star, cars, can they be safe. My town car only gets 28.5 mpg, riding in style. Have three friends that get 29+ mpg, one is a Shelby Cobra 500 GT 5.4 but he is always complaining about gas guzzler tax. Note my town car with a cross winds of 60 mph, most small cars are moving around the lanes. I found that the water bottle makes noise, if you use smaller bottles. Here are two tests you can due that are simple. Run you fingers over the edge of finished metal. Watch cars go by on the street and look at the reflection on the paint job. Fords will not rip your finger off, Fords reflection are staight. I have worked for Toyota, and Nilsson, that?s why I drive FoMoCO, from Rangers to a Mark II.
Dyslexia, is not a problem just a work around.

[45ford]

let's see.

2010 Ford Taurus fully load is nearly $45,000 before taxes, license and insurance. beautiful car but exterior color choices are unsatisfactory and the way the options are packaged is atrocious. drive it off the lot and it depreciates significantly and it doesn't hold it's value.

on the other hand, i can but an equivalent vehicle like a fully loaded 2010 Nissan Maxima for just under $40,000 excluding taxes, license and insurance. nice sytled, beautiful car, nice exterior and interior choices with dynamic and technologically advanced options that are broken into smaller packages giving consumers more optional choices. it's barely smaller than the Taurus, but the Maxima gets noticeably better MPG. drive it off the lot and it depreciates less than the '10 Taurus and it reasonably holds it value over the long term. and the 2010 Maxima is similarly designed after the 2009 model which was Motor Trend Car of the Year.

no brainer!

[Helicon2112]

They want almost $45,000 for a Taurus?????
Are they kidding????

They've got a helluva nerve charging that much for a car with their track record, especially in an economy where people are losing their jobs and can't afford to pay that much. That's ridiculous!

[Helicon2112]

Ford shouldn't be throwing up their hands in victory just yet.
Just because they came out with a new line of vehicles and tout themselves as being as good as Honda and Toyota in their commercials doesn't mean squat. The true test will come in a few years to see how well their cars hold up. They brag about how great their gas mileage is, but they never mention durability. Gas mileage doesn't matter if the car is constantly broken down in the driveway. I've had nothing but problems with Ford, from bum transmissions, to A/C units that quit after only a few short years. We now own two Civic's (after owning a Taurus, Ranger, and Explorer) and I can tell you from experience that I'd trade all 3 for 1 Civic. One of our Civic's is 10 years old and I've NEVER had any problems with it outside of having to change the brakes, oil, and tires. The A/C still blows as cold as the day it rolled off the showroom floor without ever having to add refrigerant. I might add that Chevy is also on my sh** list. I made the mistake of buying my daughter a 98 GMC Suburban, and in the last 2 years since she's owned it I've replaced the transfer case, the steering column, a wheel hub, and a $300 fuel pump and gauge (which happens to be located inside the gas tank, how convenient). Also the radio goes on and off intermittently, the windshield leaks, and it leaks coolant from the intake and oil from the pan seal. Bear in mind this truck in all outward appearances was in mint condition when I bought it. No leaks or problems whatsoever and ran great. These are the reasons I don't (and never will) trust Ford or GM ever again. The way I look at it, they should pay ME for all the suffering of having to sink good money into fixing the worthless cr** they make. All I can say is, if you guys want em' you can have em' with my condolences. Just be prepared to shell out a lot more in repairs than you would a Honda or Toyota.

[Earthwiseone]

lol you just said "and tout themselves as being as good as Honda and Toyota in their commercials" and then two sentences later claim that they never mention reliability. I mean wth man? Also I worked as a mechanic (not for any manufacturer) for years and one thing I found is that people who owned Honda's and Toyota's often said how nothing had ever gone wrong with their car until now when it was in the shop. Even when I was the one who had previously changed a dead starter or counterbalance plug that popped out or whatever else. It's always amused me how folks can buy into their own hype.

[TheEnergyDoctor]

(F)ix(O)r(R)epair(D)aily.

Tell 'em build some cheap hybrids.
All of 'em are in cahoots with the Oil companies.
They can make autos run of renewables but . . . ..

[fedup12]

Own an 08 Taurus. Great car. sxcrew the ****

[sjc_1]

This will not make a difference in Southern California. People there buy Toyota and Honda cars as if it is a new religion. GM has ranked in the top 5 with J.D. Powers for initial quality for years, but those people don't care. They do not see the connection of keeping the jobs and profits in THIS country and you will never convince them that is this a good thing. Interesting thing about religions and believers, the facts do not matter to them.

[eus109937]

You are correct.....the whole auto industry is based on the state of California. More money is spent on vehicles here that anywhere else on the face of the earth. Automobile companies, if they want sales, better base their cars on what Californian's want and need.

[kofiannanymous]

I ditched my '99 Mercury years ago because it was in the shop every 6 months getting $5k of repairs. I'm shocked that Mercury was highly ranked in reliability. The asian model I replaced the Mercury with hasn't let me down once.

[SAMTORRES66]

ford has come along way from 99....

[tpeks40]

I absolutely love my 2005 F-150. The only problem I've had with it is with the power mirrors. Change the oil regularly, turn the key and go.

[jclark7613]

I don't believe it. Ford stands for found off road dead. My friend had a Ford five hundrend and had to replace the transmission in the first 13 months. Maybe they have good truck but not cars.

[MPHgrad]

LOL jclark7613!!!!

[ToolMangler1]

FORD use to stand for "Fix Or Repair Daily"

[FamilyInCT]

After GM was GIVEN to the Unions and Senior Secured status was disregarded in the bankruptcy, I promised that my family would NEVER buy another GM car. Ford, through its actions, is in a class all by itself. Congrats Ford !

[SomeGuy_9128]

Ford, if I remember correctly, is the only one of the big three that did not go asking for a bailout. That, in my book, is important. When I am next looking for a new vehicle you can bet I'll be looking at Ford first.

[sunspro]

I bought Ford stock after they refused the bailout. It has quadrupled. I'm happy!!!!

[dwilson59]

Ford Makes a good truck

[mkaresh]

Ford also does well in TrueDelta's Car Reliability Survey. But how large are the differences, really?

Unlike CR, TrueDelta provides actual repair frequencies, not just dots, so the (often small) size of the differences in reliability is much clearer. TrueDelta also updates four times a year, to closely track cars as they age. These results are, on average, over nine months ahead of CR's.

These reliability stats, which you don't have to buy a membership to view, can be found here:

http://www.truedelta.com/car-reliability.php