Ford jumps & Toyota plunges in JD Power Rankings

[russellw]

Source: Reuters

Ford Motor Co ranked No. 1 for new car quality among mass-market brands while recall-hit Toyota Motor Corp plunged in a closely watched quality survey released on Thursday.

Toyota, grappling with a series of damaging recalls, fell below the industry average to place 21st in the influential study by J.D. Power and Associates -- its lowest ranking since the survey started 24 years ago.

Ford, the only U.S. automaker to avoid bankruptcy and a government bailout, climbed three spots to rank fifth -- the highest place Ford has achieved in the study.

Luxury brands captured the top four spots, led by Porsche and followed by Honda Motor Co's Acura, Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz and Toyota's premium Lexus nameplate.

The results underscore the progress U.S. automakers have made on closing their long-criticized gap in quality with Asian automakers, and also the challenges facing Toyota in the wake of recent safety woes.

"Overall, we're probably disappointed, but probably not surprised. If you look at when the survey was fielded, it was right during the heart of the recall and the intense coverage around the recall," Jim Lentz, Toyota's U.S. sales president, said on a conference call.

"We are paying close attention to what the customers are telling us through J.D. Power, as we always do, and we'll make adjustments where necessary to make sure we're continuing to satisfy our customers," Lentz said.

The J.D. Power study, which records difficulties faced by new car owners in the first 90 days of ownership, was conducted between February and May this year.

Toyota has struggled to win back consumer trust after a series of recalls covering more than 9 million vehicles globally, mostly for the risk that sticky accelerators or ill-fitting floor mats could cause unintended acceleration.

Partly due to Toyota's problems, U.S.-based automakers on average scored higher initial quality than foreign brands for the first time in 24 years, the survey showed.

The Honda brand, Hyundai Motor Co., Ford's Lincoln premium nameplate, Nissan Motor Co's Infiniti, and Ford's Volvo rounded out the top 10 rankings.

"This year may mark a key turning point for U.S. brands as they continue to fight the battle against lingering negative perceptions of their quality," said David Sargent at J.D. Power.

"Achieving quality comparability is the first half of the battle; convincing consumers that they have done this is the second half," Sargent said at the Automotive Press Association.

The results of the survey, the most comprehensive benchmark of new car quality, are used heavily in auto industry marketing and are seen as influential in shaping consumer perceptions. It is also watched as a barometer for resale values and as a proxy for warranty costs.

U.S. automakers have spent heavily in recent years in a bid to close the gap with the Japanese automakers, led by Toyota and Honda, which had established a reputation for eliminating flaws from engineering and manufacturing.

"Steady and meticulous attention to new model launches, along with consistency in how we do them across the brand and the globe, are having a very positive effect on the initial quality of our all-new or redesigned products," said Bennie Fowler, Ford group vice president of global quality.

General Motors Co's GM.UL Cadillac and Chevrolet brands respectively ranked 13th and 14th in the study, which measured 33 brands.

On average across the industry, U.S. consumers reported 109 problems per 100 vehicles sold, increasing slightly from 108 problems per 100 vehicles last year, J.D. Power said.

Other than Ford and Lincoln, domestic U.S. auto brands fell short of the industry average. Chrysler Group LLC's Ram truck brand ranked 11th, while its Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands placed 23rd, 27th and 28th.

[BAxtER]

great news!! hopefully thetrend continues...and soon the publics thoughts on ford change over the next few years.

[Fordman]

Good to here. I rekon Ford should capatilise on this and slip it into advertising "Ford Motor Co ranked No. 1 for new car quality"

[naddis01]

That is good to see. Ford are definately on the improve.

Is there anywhere to find the full list?

[russellw]

BRANDS OVERALL (defects per 100 vehicles):

Industry average was 108 per 100

1. Porsche (83)
2. Acura (86)
3. Mercedes-Benz (87)
4. Lexus (88)
5. Ford (93)
6. Honda (95)
7. Hyundai (102)
8. Lincoln (106)
9. Infiniti (107)
10. Volvo (109)
11. Ram (110)
12. Audi (111)
13. Cadillac (111)
14. Chevrolet (111)
15. Nissan (111)
16. BMW (113)
17. Mercury (113)
18. Buick (114)
19. Mazda(114)
20. Scion (114)
21. Toyota (117)
22. Subaru (121)
23. Chrysler (122)
24. Suzuki (122)
25. GMC (126)
26. Kia (126)
27. Jeep (129)
28. Dodge (130)
29. Jaguar (130)
30. Mini (133)
31. Volkswagen (135)
32. Mitsubishi (146)
33. Land Rover (170)

TOP INDIVIDUAL MODELS BY SEGMENT:

Sub-Compact Car:

Top-Ranked: Hyundai Accent

Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit

Compact Car

Top-ranked: Ford Focus

Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra

Compact Sporty Car

Top-ranked: Mazda MX-5

Mazda Miata, Scion tC

Compact Premium Sporty Car

Top-ranked: Volvo C70

Mercedes-Benz E-Class coupe

Entry Premium Car

Highest Ranked: Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Acura TL, Cadillac CTS

Midsize Premium Car

Top-ranked: Lexus GS

Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan, Volvo S80

Mid-size Sporty Car

Top-ranked: Ford Mustang

Dodge Challenger

Large Premium Car

Top-ranked: Lexus LS 460

Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Porsche Panamera

Mid-size Car

Top-ranked: Honda Accord

Ford Fusion, Chevrolet Malibu

Large Car

Top-ranked: Ford Taurus

Buick Lucerne, Nissan Maxima

Compact Crossover/SUV

Top-ranked: Toyota FJ Cruiser

Honda CR-V, Honda Element

Compact MPV

Top-ranked: Scion xB

Chrysler PT Cruiser Wagon, Nissan Cube

Entry Premium Crossover/SUV

Top-ranked: Acura RDX

BMW X3, Volvo XC60

Mid-size Crossover/SUV

Top-ranked: Honda Accord Crosstour

Honda Pilot, Ford Edge

Large Crossover/SUV

Top-ranked: Chevrolet Tahoe

Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon

Mid-size Premium Crossover/SUV

Top-ranked: Lexus GX 460

Infiniti FX-Series, Volvo XC70

Large Premium Crossover/SUV

Top-ranked: Cadillac Escalade

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, Infiniti QX56 (tie) Land Rover Range Rover (tie)

Large Pickup

Top-ranked: Chevrolet Avalanche (tie), GMC Sierra LD (tie)

Ford F-150 LD

Mid-size Pickup

Top-ranked: Nissan Frontier

Ford Ranger, Ford Explorer Sport Trac

Minivan

Top-ranked: Toyota Sienna

Kia Sedona, Dodge Grand Caravan

[naddis01]

Thanks Russell

[Wretched]

Nice achievement by Ford.
Problem with these surveys is the fact it is all based on customer perception.
Customers with luxury cars are going to complain about smaller issues that many on other brands would consider acceptable.
As for the Toyota issue, as much as I love seeing Toyota in this situation, I fear that customers might only be reporting more issues due to the recent quality woes Toyota are seeing. More of a perception thing. Though Toyota have been slipping in recent years.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Toyota back up in their usual spot when the survey is taken next year.

[ltd]

Who's most likely not to rest on their laurels and continue to try harder?
Ford of course.
Thanks for that Russell. We fans may cop a bit of stick but can feel vindicated in our support after results like that.

[Joe5619]

I dont see how any of these US reports are relevant to Aust.. NONE of the cars sold in the US are sold in Australia.. I'd be more happier to see Europe results where at least we have a few of them sold here..

[vztrt]

Good to see Ford is working on quality over there, if we go by the one Ford mentality quality will be high on the list for all Ford cars around the world.

[SVD]

is there a link somewhere for all this?

[TUF_302]

Originally Posted by Fordman

Good to here. I rekon Ford should capatilise on this and slip it into advertising "Ford Motor Co ranked No. 1 for new car quality"

Excellent idea,but we all no what Ford marketing is like lol!

[Fordman]

Originally Posted by TUF_302

Excellent idea,but we all no what Ford marketing is like lol!

Exactly mate!

[Redrum]

Along with their great products, awesome fuel efficiency, I would hope Ford advertise this to the masses. Recent opinion polls federally show the dumb can finally be educated against what is good and bad.

[russellw]

Originally Posted by SVD

is there a link somewhere for all this?

There is:

JD POWER 2010 IQS


Cheers
Russ

[russellw]

Originally Posted by Joe5619

I dont see how any of these US reports are relevant to Aust.. NONE of the cars sold in the US are sold in Australia.. I'd be more happier to see Europe results where at least we have a few of them sold here..

So there is something wrong with actually celebrating some good news for Ford globally?

Anyway, for your benefit here are the 2010 UK survey results..





Cheers
Russ