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SEP
04
2012

Auto Reliability Research Carried Out By Consumer Reports

Multiple news agencies have reported that, in the past years, Ford has been often associated with American car reliability.

Experts believe that this is due to the fact that consumers feel like more recent Ford models have been competing well with Japanese automakers, however, Ford has seen a drop in its ratings in the last year in spite of the past increase in popularity. According to a recent research carried out by Consumer Reports, Ford dropped and is now ranked 20th when it comes to reliability among consumers.

The ranking process, according to the news, is based on subscribers’ reports and experiences with the vehicles they own and drive. Ford is only one of the brands being reviewed in this survey.

According to the specialists looking into the statistics, the newer and redesigned popular models of Ford vehicles have ranked below average in reliability. The models listed under this list are the Ford Fiesta, Explorer and Focus. According to the agency, owners of revamped models of popular Ford vehicles have experienced several issues in the first year that had never been reported before.

The survey carried out by Consumer Reports also discovered that Chrysler has been ranking higher when it comes to reliability. According to the news, Jeep moved up about seven spots and is now the most reliable domestic brand while Dodge and Chrysler moved up 3 and 12 spots in ranking, making both automakers some of the most reliable of all American brands.

According to the news, however, the most reliable cars continue to be models manufactured by Japanese brands like Honda, Mazda, Acura, Lexus, Scion and Toyota. Data shows that Audi, Jaguar and Porsche have been ranked very poorly and are at the bottom of the reliability list.

The agency indicates that in spite of the fact Ford has been losing some prestige among its consumers, the Ford Fusion Hybrid has been holding up well. The report shows that consumers tend to have more issues with heavy-duty, three-quarter-ton pickup trucks, which are ranked low in this reliability listing with the exception of the Ford F-250, a turbodiesel vehicle that has scored above average.

Consumer Reports revealed that although General Motors has stumbled after a good increase in popularity last year, Chevrolet held on to its position in the ranking while Cadillac and Buick seem to have lost steam. GMC, according to the research, has dropped one spot.

For more on the reliability ranking assessed by Consumer Reports, click here for the full article.

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The Vachon Law Firm is based in Southern California and focuses exclusively on consumer protection litigation.