The latest U.S. Global Quality Research System (GQRS) study shows Ford Motor Company’s lineup soared above the industry’s rate of improvement in the third quarter.
The company improved in “things gone wrong” (TGW) by 11 percent vs. last year, while the report’s average industry-wide improvement rate was 2 percent. Plus, 16 Ford Motor Company models ranked in the report’s top three places for customer satisfaction, TGW performance – or both – after three months in service.
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, Ford E-Series, Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Milan, Lincoln Mark LT ranked best in their respective segments. Ten Ford models outperformed their competition, traditionally the best in class.
Ford’s newly launched vehicles – Ford Edge, Lincoln MKX and Lincoln Navigator L – held their places among strong customer satisfaction performers. Meanwhile, Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ turned solid performances for the quarter, maintaining their high quality levels since launching late 2004.
“The latest GQRS study provides still more evidence of the quality gains we’re driving throughout our product range,” said Mark Fields, president of The Americas, Ford Motor Company. “The progress is real, and it’s encouraging, but we’re not letting up. We’re working hard to win customers back with strong product quality and a line-up of vehicles people really want.”
The 2007 third-quarter U.S. GQRS study, conducted for Ford by RDA Group, asks customers of all major makes and models to comment on vehicle trouble and rate their overall satisfaction with their three-month-old vehicles.
Second- and third-place winners for TGW performance and customer satisfaction include:
Second place:
Ford Mustang for TGW performance
Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 for customer satisfaction
Ford Explorer for TGW performance
Ford Super Duty for customer satisfaction
Lincoln Navigator L for TGW performance and customer satisfaction
Third place:
Ford Fusion for TGW performance
Ford Super Duty for TGW performance
Ford F-150 for TGW performance
Ford Expedition EL for customer satisfaction
Mercury Mountaineer for TGW performance
Lincoln Navigator for TGW performance and customer satisfaction
Mazda CX-9 for customer satisfaction
In the report, Ford Motor Company vehicles are at 1,405 TGWs, representing 181 fewer TGWs since last year. The company’s lineup achieved an overall customer satisfaction rating of 76 percent, up by 2 percentage points.
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands broke the 1,400 TGW mark with an impressive performance at 1,395 TGWs, an improvement of 168 TGWs; and a customer satisfaction rate of 76 percent, up by 3 percentage points.
“It’s great to see that Ford Motor Company has improved at a faster rate than the rest of the industry,” said Bennie Fowler, vice president, Quality, Ford Motor Company. “Almost every vehicle line that we have has shown significant improvement in TGWs as well as customer satisfaction. Quality is the ultimate team sport, and I want to thank all of the teams for their hard work. We look forward to 2008 in our run to the No. 1 position.”
Volvo vehicles are at 1,460 TGWs, an improvement of 87 TGWs, and a customer satisfaction rate of 78 percent. Jaguar vehicles are at 1,509 TGWs, an improvement of 48 TGWs, and a customer satisfaction rate of 82 percent. Land Rover is at 1,704 TGWs, an improvement of 501 TGWs, and a customer satisfaction rate of 76 percent. Mazda vehicles are at 1,815 TGWs, representing an improvement of 90 TGWs, and a customer satisfaction rate of 74 percent. The survey average for TGW performance is 1,480 and for customer satisfaction level is 77 percent.
The third-quarter GQRS report is the latest of several quality assessments showing Ford’s improvement in 2007. Ford has 14 total vehicles ranked in the top three in their respective segments, including five highest-ranked segment awards, in J.D. Power and Associates IQS study released on June 6. Many of those vehicles were recently launched.
On June 28, J.D. Power and Associates APEAL study ranked Ford Edge the industry’s top performing all-new vehicle and Ford Mustang won its segment for the third straight year.
In April and July, RDA Group released quarterly GQRS reports showing Ford in a statistical dead heat with