Ford US tops quality survey, beats Toyota

Mark351 · 22-07-2009, 10:30 AM

"Ford Motor Co.'s newest automobiles had fewer problems than any other manufacturer -- including Toyota Motor Corp. -- according to a new survey of initial quality, details of which were obtained by The Detroit News.

It was the first time ever that the Dearborn automaker beat its arch-rival in the survey, which was conducted for Ford by the RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills. The study also put Ford in a dead heat with Toyota in customer satisfaction.

"We've been tied with Toyota before, but it sure feels better to be on the top!" wrote Bennie Fowler, Ford's global head of quality, in a memo to employees Friday, a copy of which was obtained by The News. "We can all be pleased with the progress we have made in quality, even as we face external and internal challenges in a tumultuous climate. Our progress has come as the result of our union partnerships in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, along with the work of dedicated teams in manufacturing, product development, purchasing, marketing, sales, service, legal, IT and others who follow disciplined, standardized processes."

RDA's research is used by a number of automakers, both foreign and domestic, and has historically tracked closely with other independent research by firms such as J.D. Power and Associates. Its second quarter study showed new Ford, Mercury and Lincoln cars and trucks had 1,185 issues per 1,000 vehicles. Toyota had 1,215 problems, while Honda Motor Co. had 1,291.

Both Toyota and Ford had an 80 percent positive customer satisfaction rating, Fowler said.

The results come a year after he vowed publicly to seize Toyota's crown as the quality leader among full-line manufacturers in the United States. But Ford has found that its quality gains have still not convinced all consumers that its products are on par with those from its Japanese competitors.

Fowler said more work is needed, particularly on the luxury brand, which faces even tougher competition.

"There is more work to be done," he said." We want nothing less than to be the highest-quality automotive manufacturer year over year!"

http://www.detnews.com/article/20090...quality-survey

ltd · 22-07-2009, 06:17 PM

Great news for Ford, seems that things are really looking up both locally and abroad.

Barry_v · 22-07-2009, 07:19 PM

before the toyota bashing begins, remember that US assembled toyotas do not reflect what we get here.

**TUF_302** · 22-07-2009, 07:59 PM

Might not affect us here but, We beat toyota!, Oh what a feeling!!

GK · 22-07-2009, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TUF_302

Might not affect us here but, We beat toyota!, Oh what a feeling!!

Well said! LOL!

GK

Bossxr8 · 23-07-2009, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barry_v

before the toyota bashing begins, remember that US assembled toyotas do not reflect what we get here.

They still follow the same quality guidelines. Just because they are built outside Japan does not mean they don't follow all of Toyotas quality principles, because they are all the same no matter where you are.

There is a hint of truth to the story that Toyota grew so quickly they couldn't get enough trained engineers to fill the required positions. Quality was tipped to decline because of this, and seems to be happening.