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Ford, GM most dependable--Study
by Ishita Sood - March 19, 2010 - comments
Ford topped the study for its dependability. Its Lincoln brand reported 114 problems per 100 vehicles, which was very close to Porsche's score. Ford’s Mercury brand also outperformed the industry.
Ford and General Motors have achieved the mark of the most dependable vehicles in a study that measures the number of problems owners faced in 2007 model-year cars, according to J.D. Power and Associates.
“It's pretty impressive to get all three of them in the top 10,” said David Sargent, J.D. Power’s vice president of global vehicle research. “It is the first time in more than a decade that a domestic brand vehicle has been the top-rated vehicle.”
Porsche, which was the No. 1 brand in the study, reported 110 problems per 100 vehicles, a significant improvement over last year. GM's Buick brand was at third place.
The study
Ford topped the study for its dependability. Its Lincoln brand reported 114 problems per 100 vehicles, which was very close to Porsche’s score. Ford’s Mercury brand also outperformed the industry.
“Everything is aligning just perfectly for Ford. What is propelling them is their product lineup. It is the best they have ever had in their history, and they have improved quality and design, and not needing government help improved their image,” said Jesse Toprak, an analyst at TrueCar.
“Producing vehicles with world-class quality is just part of the battle for automakers. Convincing consumers to believe in their quality is equally as important.” -- David Sargent, J.D. Power’s vice president of global vehicle research
Meanwhile, GM’s Cadillac, which was one of the top-rated vehicles in the study, beat Toyota’s Lexus LS.
“Toyota has hit kind of a plateau on reliability and dependability. Clearly, they have a lot of work to do. They are working hard on it. They are very smart people and are dedicated to fixing it,” said Sargent.
GMC and Chevrolet scored worse than average, the latter reporting 176 problems per 100 vehicles. Land Rover recorded 255 problems per 100 vehicles.
Vehicle dependability improves by 7 percent
According to J.D. Power, quality and perception of quality were the most influential factors for car buyers while purchasing a car. Brand name topped the list.
“Producing vehicles with world-class quality is just part of the battle for automakers,” Sargent said. “Convincing consumers to believe in their quality is equally as important.”
The study is based on a survey taken between October and December 2009. More than 52,000 owners of 2007-model vehicles took part in it.