Ford sees new quality gains
Study of long-term durability shows marked improvement
Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News
Fresh from its victory over Toyota Motor Corp. in this year's initial quality survey by J.D. Power and Associates, Ford Motor Co. now says it has cut in half its long-term quality gap with the Japanese automaker. Ford and General Motors Corp. are in a dead heat for third place behind Toyota and Honda Motor Co. when it comes to the quality of its older cars and trucks, Ford Americas President Mark Fields told employees in his weekly Webcast on Wednesday.
Fields cited a study of 2004 models driven by customers over a three-year period that was prepared for Ford by the RDA Group, a market research firm based in Bloomfield Hills. "We're seeing consistent improvements and gaining traction," Fields said, adding that he expects to see more dramatic improvements next year when the 2005 model year vehicles are put under the microscope.
Last month, Ford surprised the industry by taking more top awards than any other automaker in J.D. Powers' closely watched new car quality survey, which measures customer satisfaction during the first 90 days of ownership.
Fields said the RDA report on 3-year-old models underscores Ford's progress.
RDA Group Managing Director Dennis Pietrowski confirmed the findings, which he said were based on data from 28,717 vehicles from all manufacturers. "This is quite encouraging for Ford," he said in an interview. "We've seen them cut the gap they have with Toyota in half."
Ford spokeswoman Anne Marie Gattari said the latest numbers are further proof that Ford is on the right track when it comes to quality. "Long-term durability continues to move in the right direction," she said.
"We are at industry average according to this survey, essentially tied with GM and trailing Honda and Toyota."
The survey looked at customer satisfaction and the number of problems encountered by owners of 2004 model year vehicles. It found that Ford's models experienced 5 percent fewer issues than in last year's survey of 2003 model year vehicles, marking the fourth straight year of improvement for the Dearborn-based automaker.
Analyst Erich Merkle of IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids noted that several surveys have shown Ford's vehicle quality is improving. "They actually are making some real strides, but the perception is taking a long time to catch up."
Standouts in the long-term study included the Mercury Sable sedan, which led its segment, and the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator sport utility vehicles, which showed big improvements in quality and customer satisfaction. The Ford Ranger pickup also did well in the quality assessment.
The Ford, Mercury and Lincoln brands also topped their respective classes in overall paint appearance, Gattari noted.
RDA has been conducting the annual survey for Ford since the late 1990s. The firm conducts similar studies for other automakers, and its findings have historically hewed close to those independently conducted by J.D. Power. In fact, RDA's annual report on new car quality showed Ford in a statistical tie with Toyota before the release of the J.D. Power study.
Ford is optimistic that these findings will be echoed in that firm's long-term quality survey, which is due out later this year.
You can reach Bryce Hoffman at (313) 222-2443 or snipped-for-privacy@detnews.com.