Ford Motor Company recorded another strong improvement in J.D. Power and Associates' 2009 Initial Quality Study, putting the Ford and Mercury brands in a statistical tie with the top Japanese brands.
The Ford brand, which continues to outpace the overall industry's quality improvement, now has posted eight consecutive years of gains in the closely watched quality study based on consumer evaluations after the first three months of new-vehicle ownership. Overall, the Ford brand improved by 10 points over last year's study.
"It is gratifying to see our commitment to quality paying off," said Bennie Fowler, Ford group vice president, Global Quality. "Ford has demonstrated consistent and continuous quality improvement. We're now tied with the best of the Japanese automakers and we won't be satisfied until Ford is the industry's global quality leader."
Some of Ford's most popular nameplates received top honors for their respective segment, including Ford F-150, Mustang, Edge and Mercury Sable.
J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Initial Quality Study is based on responses from 80,930 new 2009 model-year vehicle owners after they have driven their new vehicles for three months. It measures problems per 100 vehicles and was based on November through February registrations.
In April, Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based RDA Group's Global Quality Research System (GQRS) showed that Ford has surpassed Honda and is in a statistical tie with Toyota in initial quality. That report, an analysis of "things gone wrong" in new vehicles as measured by customers, is commissioned quarterly by Ford.
"The Blue Oval is becoming synonymous with high quality with customers," Fowler said. "We're not only dramatically reducing defects, we are delivering the long-term durability and the superior craftsmanship that today's customers demand."