Years ago Ford's advertising slogan was Quality is Job 1. Well, maybe quality is coming back to Ford.
But in an ironic twist, the best manufacturing plant in America, the one with the lowest defect rate, is the one Ford just shut down in Wixom, Michigan, where the Lincoln Town Car was made. JD Powers' Platinum Plant Quality Award will have to hang on the walls of an empty building.
Still, Ford got five top model segment awards, which is more than any other automaker. The top Ford models were the Mustang, Lincoln Mark LT, Lincoln MKZ, Mercury Milan and the Mazda MX-5 (Ford owns one third of Mazda).
The Lincoln brand improved from 12th place to 3rd, Mercury from 17th to 8th and Ford jumped from 16th to 10th place --- all sizeable gains in the industry. Meanwhile Toyota dropped to 7th place while nothing in the GM or Chrysler stable was above industry average in quality.
Looks like one woke up, one went to sleep, and the others are still in a coma. Go figure.
Maybe, just maybe, quality is coming back to Ford. It's about time. Unlike other manufacturers, Ford seems to be learning the lesson that people want cars and trucks that run right and look good. It helps if the manufacturer will back them up with a solid warranty a good dealer warranty service too. Ford still has some work to do on that end because we still see lots of dealer sales-fraud issues, but Ford isn't alone there.
Of course, Lexus (and now joined by Porsche) still tops the overall quality scoreboard. That's no surprise to anyone though.
If you've got a bad car or truck or rv or atv, the Lemon Law can help you out. Contact us. We're experienced Lemon Law lawyers. We know the law and how to make it work for you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Known nationwide as a leading Lemon Law attorney, Ronald L. Burdge has represented literally thousands of consumers in "lemon" lawsuits and actively co-counsels and coaches other Consumer Law attorneys. From 2005 through 2018, attorney Ronald L. Burdge has been named as the only Lemon Law Ohio Super Lawyer by Law and Politics magazine and Thomson Reuters Corp., Professional Division. Burdge restricts his practice to Lemon Law and Consumer Law cases. The Ohio Super Lawyer results are published annually in the January issue of Cincinnati Magazine. Ronald L. Burdge was named Consumer Law Trial Lawyer of the Year 2004 by the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the nation's largest organization of consumer law private and government attorneys. "Your impact on the auto industry has been magnified many times over because of the trail you blazed for others," stated NACA's Executive Director, Will Ogburn. Burdge has represented thousands of consumers in Ohio, Kentucky and elsewhere since 1978 and is a frequent lecturer to national, state and local Bar Associations and Judicial organizations. Burdge is admitted to Ohio's state and federal courts, Kentucky's state courts, and Indiana's federal courts. Other court admissions are on a "pro hac" temporary, case by cases basis.