Normally Toyota ranks high in the annual 2010 JD Power "initial quality survey" each year but this year, the massive recalls, including the unintended acceleration mess, cost them big time. Down, down, down they went. Down to 21st place.
At the same time, the US domestic brands scored higher than imports for the first time. The Ford Focus, Dodge Ram 1500 and the Buick Enclave in particular ranked high in quality.
Porsche was number one in name plate rankings and, not surprisingly, Land Rover came in last. Here's some of the top models in model segments:
Compact Premium Sport Car, BMW Z4
Compact Sport Car, Mazda MX-5 Miata
Entry Premium Vehicle, Lincoln MKZ
Large Car, Mercury Montego
Large Premium Car, Cadillac DTS
Midsize Car, Buick LaCrosse
Midsize Pickup, Honda Ridgeline
Midsize Premium Car, Audi A6, S6
Midsize Sport Car, Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Minivan, Ford Freestar
Premium Sport Car, Mercedes SL Class
Sub compact Car, Honda Fit
It's been a long, long time since that many US domestic cars made any quality list at all, let alone the top of the list. It's about time Detroit learned. The real question, of course, is whether Detroit's vehicle went up in quality or if the import quality was so dismal that it merely passed by the domestic brands on the way down. Time will tell.