- Below-average reliability with the Ford Explorer, Fiesta and Focus caused Ford's overall reliability rating to tumble, says the Consumer Reports 2011 reliability survey.
- The Dearborn automaker saw its reliability rating drop from No. 10 to No. 20, the survey said.
- The slide was attributed to "problems with new technologies," especially the MyFord Touch infotainment system and the automated-manual transmission in the Fiesta and Focus.
YONKERS, New York — Saying "Ford's star has fallen," Consumer Reports gave the Dearborn automaker a dismal reliability rating in its most recent 2011 survey. Below-average reliability with the Ford Explorer, Fiesta and Focus caused Ford's overall rating to tumble.
The slide was attributed to "problems with new technologies," especially the MyFord Touch infotainment system and the automated-manual transmission in the Fiesta and Focus.
Consumer Reports said Explorer, Fiesta and Focus were "blemishing" Ford's reputation.
"Ford's problems illustrate why we recommend to our subscribers to hold off buying a first-year model," said David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' Automotive Test Center in a statement.
Ford noted that some vehicles, such as the Fusion, received higher scores in the survey and said that it has corrected some of the reliability issues.
"As we said when J.D. Power issued similar results this past summer, we take all customer feedback seriously and will use it to continuously improve our vehicles," said Bennie Fowler, Ford group vice president of global quality and new model launch in a statement. "Continuous improvement ensures that we are providing our customers with the highest-quality vehicles. Our internal surveys now show that we are largely back on track after addressing these near-term quality issues."
Jeep moved up seven spots to No. 13 in the new Consumer Reports survey, becoming the most reliable domestic brand. The Chrysler 200 was lauded for being "well above average."
Detroit automakers in general received ho-hum grades.
Consumer Reports said "General Motors has stumbled after edging up last year." Buick and Cadillac were singled out for appearing "to have taken a step backward." The Buick Regal and Chevrolet Cruze were described as "below par in reliability." The Buick LaCrosse, the all-wheel-drive version of the Buick Enclave and the Cadillac SRX "dropped to below average and are no longer recommended," said the consumer watchdog.
Scion took home honors as the top brand in the reliability study. Japanese brands overall proved to be a reliability powerhouse, taking the top nine spots. Besides Scion, they include Lexus, Acura, Mazda, Honda and Toyota.
Inside Line says: Some important information as you shop for your new car or truck.
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says:
02:48 PM, 03/24/2012
Alan Mulally brought his positive attitude about all things tech from Boeing; however, American drivers are probably not ready for routine software updates to their automobiles. Imagine waiting in your garage for the hourglass to go away because your Ford is updating its ECM or BCM operating system. I can't even find a Ford dealer to turn on my daytime running lights toggle in the body control module, and that's their business.
I'm certain insiders expected the MFT push-back and convinced the brass that all would be well after a few updates. We've all heard something similar from the IT guys - we'll fix that in the next version, honest! If we're still having the same discussion in a year or two, you can bet heads will roll. It has always been this way.
georgecavalier says:
03:19 PM, 10/27/2011
While I can't vouch for these three Ford vehicles or My Ford Touch, I personally wouldn't take what CR says as gospel. They said my Cobalt was unreliable but I've had ZERO problems with mine. The only reason I traded it was because I wanted something with more power and equipment.
calspecial68 says:
07:51 AM, 10/27/2011
CR and J.D. are just pedestals which automakers can stand on and blow their own horn, provided they are in favor with these morons.
5lv8 says:
06:53 AM, 10/27/2011
So much dislike of Consumer Reports when it disagrees with members opinions. When it agrees with their opinion, it is the greatest magazine on the planet. I am not sure why My Touch and the new Automated Manual led to a huge drop in reliability ratings, but Consumer Reports usually tests everything objectively. The only three sources I read for car reviews are Edmunds/Inside Line, Consumer Reports and Motor Week.org. Motor Week likes every car, but their tests are objective. Other car review sites which have tremendous bias towards the reviewers favorite brand, most hyped car and sometimes for the one with the biggest advertisement in the magazine.
jacton says:
06:42 AM, 10/27/2011
The biggest problem I have with CR is they NEVER explain what is truly wrong with the vehicles. If CR is going to make recommendations or chide a mark for reliability I want to know in detail why. How do I know as a consumer what to make of their data? How anyone can give these guys credibility is beyond me.
chente says:
10:06 PM, 10/26/2011
Mortal what about a Scion tC? Its a hatch back
mortal says:
08:58 PM, 10/26/2011
*sigh
For the longest time all i wanted was...
A 'hot hatch'.
With a decently tuned automatic transmission
That was somewhat reliable.
And could get out of it's own way (read, 0-60 in ~7s)
I know what you're thinking, the most obvious contender is a VW GTI, but they aren't known for their reliability.
I had hoped that ford's focus st would solve my problem, but sadly my hopes are dashed.
mz6greyghost says:
07:35 PM, 10/26/2011
If I want advice for my next toaster, I'll check out CR.
If I want info about my next auto purchase, the LAST place I'll look is CR. Their "unbiased" members are laughable, and their auto reviews are a joke.
Want true reliability info, try TrueDelta. They aren't trying to sell magazines with toaster recommendations in them...
says:
06:48 PM, 10/26/2011
They also said they couldn't recommend the iPhone 4 last year... every other publication ranked it #1 in customer satisfaction...
I don't pay much attention to them anymore. They can't seem to make up their minds.
wjtinatl says:
06:09 PM, 10/26/2011
I won't pretend to give a damn what CR says, the lack of detail behind their ratings is absurd. I am sure that owners of new Ford's with MFT and the PowerShift tranny have expressed their frustration with them. However, my personal experience with a 2011 Edge with MFT was it sucked. But it was in no way unreliable. My 77 yr. old Mom has a new Explorer with MFT, she loves the car but hates the MFT. She also cannot operate a PC or any other device with a complex interface, but loved it when the salesman demonstrated it to her. However, the Explorer has run perfectly every day for a year, so it's not unreliable. I just rented a 2012 Edge with MFT, it was much better than the '11 but still not intuitive. Finally, I spent 4 days and 500 miles in a new Focus with PowerShift. The programming to upshift quickly was not to my liking but it ran fine, was fast when prodded and delivered 34 mpg. I don't own a new Ford, but I do own '02, '03 and '04 Ford products, 2 bought used and all with over 100k on them and have had zero issues with any of them. I'll buy another Ford in a heartbeat and have relayed my experience to many who may or may not have bought one but now have first-hand knowledge of an owners real-world experience. Until there's more detail behind a "sub-par reliability" statement, I'll pass on the wisdom of both CR and J.D. Power.