American cars top J.D. Power quality survey
The Ford Focus Electric car is scheduled to be released next year, but was on display at the New York Auto Show. Credit: Getty
For the first time in 24 years, vehicles made in the United States outperformed imports on J.D. Power and Associates' annual survey of new vehicle quality, with Ford vehicles taking top honors among non-luxury brands.
The survey measures the average number of problems new owners and lessees report within the first 90 days. That would include complaints related to design issues and mechanical problems.
Ford scored tops among non-luxury brands, ranking fifth behind Porsche, Acura, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus. Toyota, beset by recall issues, dropped from sixth to 21st place.
Ford registered an average of 93 problems per 100 vehicles, compared with an average of 108 for all domestic brands and 109 for imports.
"Domestic automakers have made impressive strides in steadily improving upon initial quality, particularly since 2007," said David Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J.D. Power.
The automaker's showing came as no surprise to Shaun Blanco, who works in the sales department of Newins Bay Shore Ford.
"Ford has strived to move the product to the next level," he said Thursday.
That's because the company is aware that "every consumer who walks through the door is not looking at gas mileage alone; they're also looking at fit and finish," which is how well the vehicle is put together.
Ford knows it doesn't "have any margin for error at this point," he said.
In the past three years, Blanco, whose family has owned the dealership for more than 30 years, said he's seen improvement by "leaps and bounds."
Neil Outcault, 76, of Garden City, said he and his wife will probably buy the Ford Edge they leased last fall. It's their second leased Edge, and Outcault said he has had no problems with the vehicle, apart from disappointing gas mileage.
Counting the problems
Carmakers ranked by the number of problems per 100 vehicles in the first 90 days:
- Porsche - 83
- Acura - 86
- Mercedes-Benz - 87
- Lexus - 88
- Ford - 93
- Honda - 95
- Hyundai - 102
- Lincoln - 106
- Infiniti - 107
- Volvo - 109
SOURCE: J.D. Power and Associates
