Ford Quality Improves, Toyota Drops, Consumer Reports Says

Print page

Ford Motor Company scored its highest levels in years on Consumer Reports' 2007 Annual Car Reliability Survey, the magazine has announced. Among the highlights:

93 percent of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles ranked average or better in reliability in the survey.

41 out of 44 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models scored average or better in predicted reliability.

"The Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan are among the most reliable car

The two-wheel-drive Ford F-150 V6 along with the Fusion and Milan make up three of the only four domestic models on Consumer Reports' "Most Reliable" list.

Nine new Ford Motor Company vehicles have been added to Consumer Reports' list of recommended buys, including the Ford F-150 and the all-new Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX.

In addition, Fusion, Milan, Lincoln MKZ, Mustang and the Volvo S40 all received top recommendations for meeting more stringent crash-avoidance and crash test criteria. [More details to come]

Consumer Reports reliability results, vehicles ratings and other information on specific models are available to online subscribers at www.consumerreports.org and will be featured in the latest Consumer Reports CARS publication, Best & Worst for 2008, on sale Nov. 6.

Some Highlights From News Reports:

· "Ford Motor Co. has significantly improved the quality of its cars and trucks, while Toyota Motor Co. slipped out of the No. 1 spot in Consumer Reports newest survey on vehicle reliability ... 41 of Ford's 44 models scored average or better in predicted reliability ... Three Toyota vehicles lost Consumer Reports' 'buy' recommendation. For the first time in the survey's history, a version of the Toyota Camry - the V6 - isn't recommended by the publication." -- Ford quality improves, Toyota drops, Consumer Reports says; The Detroit News Online

What Consumer Reports Says:

"Consumer Reports ranked the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and the automaker's market-leading F-150 pickup truck with a V-6 engine as among the most-reliable new vehicles on the market." -- Consumer Reports says Toyota slips in reliability; Reuters News

· "Consumer Reports said 41 of 44 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models in the survey scored average or better in predicted reliability. The Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan 'are among the most reliable cars,' Consumer Reports said in a statement. Toyota, meanwhile, saw the V-6 version of the Camry and the four-wheel-drive V-8 version of the Tundra pickup truck, both redesigned for 2007, rate below average." -- Toyota Slips, Ford Improves In Consumer Reports Survey; Dow Jones

· "The results reinforce Ford's efforts to boost quality after glitches with new-vehicle introductions early in this decade. … The magazine said 93 percent of Ford models from its Ford, Lincoln and Mercury U.S. brands scored average or better for reliability. That compares to 49 percent for General Motors Corp. and 67 percent for Chrysler LLC. … Employees at Ford factories are reviewing feedback from consumers 'to make sure every customer issue is fixed at the plant,' Mike Hardie, a global quality manager at the Dearborn, Michigan-based company, said in an interview."" -- Toyota Reliability Drops, Ford Improves, Consumer Reports Says; Bloomberg

Ford Makes Quality Strides, Toyota Dips

· "Toyota got an unpleasant surprise and Ford’s recovery plan received a welcome endorsement as Consumer Reports magazine revealed its influential list of best and worst new vehicles today. Toyota lost its coveted status as an automaker that automatically gets CR’s revered 'recommended' tag for every new model, while Ford saw 93% of its vehicles score well for reliability … Ford, on the other hand, is approaching the kind of across-the-board reliability buyers used to associate only with Japanese brands, [David Champion, Consumer Reports' director of automotive testing] said." -- Consumer Reports: Ford makes quality strides while Toyota dips; Detroit Free Press Online

· "...U.S. automakers have to be loving the news flow lately. But without the products to back it up, Detroit's Big Three would just be spinning their wheels. That's why the strides made, particularly by Ford Motor Co., in the latest Consumer Reports reliability survey are so important in turning around the perception that U.S. cars and trucks pale in comparison to the top Japanese manufacturers. The influential 2007 Annual Car Reliability Survey ... shows that 93% of all Ford, Lincoln, Mercury models score just as high or higher than the industry average. 'These results are thrilling,' Mike Hardie, Ford's director of quality, said. 'Quite frankly, it's something we've been expecting since we put in new processes to improve quality. We believe we're competitive with the best in the world when it comes to reliability.'" -- Ford makes big reliability strides; Toyota falters; MarketWatch"

· "Ford did very well in the new survey, with 41 out of 44 of its products scoring average or better in predicted reliability. Plus, the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Ford F-150 V6 2WD were three of the only four domestic models that earned the label of 'Most Reliable.'" -- Toyota hit hard by new Consumer Reports predicted reliability ratings; Autoblog.com