Ford Higher in Quality Survey as GM Falls

[Bob Of Burleson]

By Christina Rogers
The Wall Street Journal

DETROIT—Consumers this year generally reported more flaws with their new cars than they did a year ago, according to a new-car quality survey that cited struggles with in-car technologies such as phone pairing and voice recognition.

Among Detroit auto makers, Ford Motor Co. was the one exception with fewer flaws than a year ago after years of below-par grades tied to consumer complaints about its MyFord Touch multimedia system.

Ford's ranking climbed seven notches and tied with the industry's average number of flaws in the latest J.D. Power & Associates Initial Quality Study, which compiles rankings based on problems reported by owners during their first 90 days of ownership.

General Motors Co., had several brands whose scores fell in the rankings after a strong showing in 2013. Overall, its brands averaged 114 flaws per 100 vehicles, slightly better than the industry average and Chevrolet, for a second year in a row, was the top-ranked domestic brand.

The average number of flaws in Chrysler Group LLC's four brands rose slightly over a year ago to 124 per 100, hurt by a greater number of complaints on a new Jeep sport-utility vehicle.

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[Grassman]

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