JD Power: US Cars Top Foreign Brands on Quality

(AP)  U.S. automakers have surpassed foreign brands for the first time in a survey that measures the quality of new cars and trucks.

J.D. Power and Associates said Thursday that owners of vehicles made by Detroit automakers reported fewer problems on average during the first 90 days of ownership than those built by companies based overseas.

It was the first time that has happened in the 24 years the industry research group has conducted the annual quality study that is a closely watched measure of the durability and reliability of vehicles.

GM Cost Cuts, New Sales Drive $865M Profit in 1Q

U.S. automakers have long lagged foreign brands, especially those from Asian manufacturers like Toyota, which many consumers believe produce higher quality cars and trucks than General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

But J.D. Power said Ford Motor Co. showed some of the biggest gains in quality among individual brands, moving into the fifth spot. Porsche was the top scorer. Toyota Motor Corp., which has suffered through huge safety recalls earlier this year, saw its score drop.

"Domestic automakers have made impressive strides in steadily improving vehicle quality," said David Sargent, J.D. Power's vice president of global research.

The study ranks vehicles according to the number of problems reported per 100 vehicles. The overall average for the industry was 109 problems per 100 vehicles. That industry average has fallen steadily over the past decade.

U.S. manufacturers scored an average of 108 problems, while foreign companies posted 109 problems. That is a marked difference than just 10 years ago, when import brands had far fewer initial problems than those made by U.S. companies.

Luxury brands topped the list, with Acura and Mercedes-Benz holding the second and third spots. Daimler, which makes the Mercedes-Benz, had the best performing plant, an assembly facility in East London, South Africa.

Land Rover had the highest overall number of average problems with 170.

Ford was the best scorer among non-luxury brands, with 93 problems per 100 vehicles. J.D. Power said that Ford has shown steady improvement over the last nine years.

The rankings are closely watched by automakers, which frequently use them in advertising campaigns. Ford vice president of quality Bennie Fowler said in a statement that the survey shows Ford's "steady and meticulous attention to new model launches."

Toyota's ranking dropped to the 21st spot, down from the sixth ranking in 2009. The Japanese automaker has built a strong reputation for vehicle quality, but has seen its image suffer after wide reports of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles. The company has recalled 9 million vehicles worldwide since October over problems with gas pedals and brakes in some models.

"Overall, we're disappointed but probably not surprised," said Jim Lentz, Toyota's top U.S. sales executive. "If you look at when the survey was fielded, it was right during the height of the recall and the intense coverage of the recall."

He said vehicles not involved in recall saw their scores go up in the study. He also noted that Toyota had six segment award winners, more than any other manufacturer.

"We are paying close attention to what the customer is telling us through J.D. Power."

[P0ST1ING_AWAY]

by 75034 June 17, 2010 9:34 PM EDT
Wow! You have saved so much money on your trucks! Perhaps you*d like to invest in some Las Vegas waterfront property. Self delusion is obviously fun.
=======================================
Care to tell us how much money YOU have saved by maintaining
your Double-wide trailer ??? Let me guess .... Made in Tijuana ?????

[rwsmith29456]

US cars have come up in quality a little in the last 30 years but on the average foreign car quality has gone down. I'm 54 and have had VERY few cars that didn't just plain suck. Several of the American cars had costly flaws that almost sent me to the poorhouse.

[wyodutch]

You people who have car problems need to learn how to take care of your vehicles.
.
Most of you don't know the difference between the dipstick under the hood and the one behind the wheel of your car.

[retiredgustav]

Amen, I am 60+ years old I have always bought american made autos and I alway get 200,000+ mile out of them. Just take care of them, and today that is not hard to do.

[wyodutch]

I have a 1984 GMC 3/4-ton diesel 4X4 pickup that I bought new. Over 300,000 miles on it and it still does it's share of the chores.
.
My next vehicle is a 1997 Chevrolet Suburban with 270,000 miles on it. Replaced the transmission at 225,000 miles. Runs like a top.
.
Just bought a 2009 GMC 1-ton diesel pickup. Perfect in every detail.
.
Give me American-Made, Union-Made any day.

[AlamoDoc]

This would be great news, ...if we only drove cars for 90 days. It's what happens when a car is 3-5 years old that counts. Last I checked, the recommended used-cars section of Consumers Report is still heavily populated by foreign cars, and practically devoid of domestic brands.

[pw08-2009]

Tell you what, let's see how American manufacturers cars do over the next several years on quality compared to the foreign brands. And let's see where the sales are. I'm not buying it yet, because it's not that difficult to make American cars better because they were so bad to begin with. Also, they ignored the buyers, so it will take a good long time to recover from all the above.

[40Resolute40]

As an auto repair technician I have to disagree with you. American cars (GM - Ford)have not been as bad as you may think for quite awhile.

[tsigili]

That's not saying much. The US car makers, have lousy quality, as well.

More and more, it is becoming obvious, that they simply don't try to make a good product, to start with. All they care about, is what shows. Then when the stuff that doesn't show, starts breaking down, they say.......oh well that's out of warranty", or "well, that's not covered under warranty".

Their products are designed to only last until the 36 mo. warranty period is up. For the average driver, that is a lousy 45,000 miles. Then the big repair bills start rolling in, to the tune of $400.-up, per occasion.

[40Resolute40]

Why so bitter? I have owned a 2000 Mustang (bought brand new) and have over 100000 miles on it and have had no major problems. In my opinion most people tend to beat on their cars (accelerate quickly and brake hard). Then take the vehicle to a quick oil change place where an untrained person services their prized automobile.

[djberson]

Well it is a product that takes an unusual amount of wear and tear compared with other appliances such as stoves and cameras. They must operate (multitask) in a variety of weather and road conditions to say nothing of the way it is treated by the driver.