Ford must have made some big improvements since 05. I can think of several tsb's regarding the fuel system on our stangs. Fuel tanks won't fill; fuel gauges won't read; fuel pumps form air bubbles causing flat spots (this should be a recall for safety). Other than the injectors and fuel lines, what's left? I think if they have to have better dealings with their parts suppliers if they want to produce a higher quality vehicle.

 

um, the article is clearly biased.

first, it's detroit news.
second, a survey of only 31,000 new car owners.
third, only discusses problems within the first 90 days.
fourth, it was conducted by Ford RDA.

the time frame for the statistic is too short, the sample is too small, and the source may be biased.

i'd like to see more significant stats.


on topic:

i agree i'd love a 380hp mustang at $30k.
and we'll probably have one soon, a 350hp mustang under $30k.

 

They are simply reporting a story.

Many surveys base their results on a subset of a population.

A popular JD Powers survey does the same thing - initial quality

The RDA Group is not a part of Ford. They conducted the survey on behalf of Ford.

What would be more significant?


I hope there is a 5.0L Mustang GT at the same starting prices we have today.

 

+1 Toyota rocks! Sure the Ford trucks might be more stout, but how many people actually do anything beyond pick up fertilizer at Home Depot with their trucks? Even less tow anything. A huge segment of the market is folks that use their truck to commute to work and nothing more. The Super Dutys aren't even on these folks' radar. This market is the soft belly of pickup sales figures. If I had to chose between an F-150 and a Tundra I have to say I'd likely go Toyota. You can't beat the build quality or the resale value. Good luck with the new truck!

 

We will see what Ford has up its sleeves at next years Detroit Show, where I think they will unveil the new 2009 F150, with the new motor (gas and diesel). I have a feeling that this new truck will put it right back up front of the new offering from GM and Toyota.

 

Yeah its a good thing Toyota's quality is SO much better.....

***************
from Business Week:
Recalls for 2006

So much for Toyota's vaunted reputation for quality. On July 18, the Japanese auto giant announced a recall of 418,570 vehicles worldwide for faulty engine parts. This follows an even larger global recall of nearly one million cars and trucks at the end of May for faulty parts that could cause drivers to lose control of the steering wheel.

The current recall affects about 150,000 cars sold outside of Japan, mainly in the U.S. and Canada, though no accidents have been reported due to the faulty engine component that could lead to oil leakage. In the U.S. more than 34,000 cars were recalled, including 26,200 Echo and 8,500 Prius models. While Toyota (TM) is no stranger to recalls—in May 2005 it recalled more than 750,000 pickup trucks and every single 2006 Toyota model line from the Avalon to the Tundra has experienced some form of recall—this latest round may finally dent its Teflon image if steps aren't taken to improve quality.

http://www.businessweek.com/autos/co...717_855947.htm



And if Ford should be looking at any new engine, they should be bringing over the Boss 290 from Ford Australia and FPV - 390hp naturally aspirated baby....

<<All three were powered by a unique version of Ford's 5.4-litre Modular V8, with DOHC 4-valve cylinder heads from the Mustang Cobra R engine, dubbed by FPV as "Boss 290," producing 290 kW (389 hp) @ 5500 rpm and 520 Nm (384 ft·lbf) @ 4500 rpm. >>

or the

Falcon Barra engine, featuring a 4.0 litre DOHC 24-valve turbocharged inline-six with variable cam timing, which produced 270 kW (362 hp) @ 5250 rpm and 550Nm (406 ft·lbf) @ 2000 - 4250 rpm - the highest level of torque in any Australian production car to that date.

HELL yeah!!

 

Toyota is trying to beat the domestics at their own game, trucks. But Toyota may have made a mistake in investing so much money in developing a full size pickup when truck sales are shrinking due to gas prices and other factors.

Who is Toyota trying to beat out of the #1 selling pickup truck spot? Ford. The F Series has been the best selling vehicle in the US for almost 30 years.

The Tundra doesn't seem to be doing all that well though as there have been news reports of incentives being applied to them already, and the truck had debuted less than a year ago. This is probably why they are "happy to deal".

Do you think Ford is going to give up on F Series? They're working on a new version, to be out in a couple of years, which will no doubt have a lot of improvement over the last generation, as the this generation was improved over the one before it.

Ford is not making profits currently because SUV and truck sales have been declining industry wide for the past few years. It affected Ford more than some others since the majority of their sales are trucks and SUVs.

 

Yeah, it's SO biased toward Ford that the study indicated that Honda is the quality leader. If Ford was going to "fudge" a report likes, do you really think they would put Honda at the top?

 

i'm not doubting the reality or truth of the statistics, i'm just saying so what?

so Fords have just as many problems as Toyotas and Nissans in the first 90 days of 31,000 new cars, what's the big deal? i'd like to see the overall durability of the cars, how about a year? 5 years? etc. who buys cars to last only 90 days?

and the whole Toyota re-calling more vehicles than they sold in 2007 is true. but look at that stat. it's mid April. Only 3 and half months in to the year 2007. so they messed up on a lot of Tundras. It's one recall put in perspective of a year that makes the statistics SEEM significant. 2007 ain't over yet. so while the stat seems amazing, in reality it was just one bad recall at the beginning of a new year.

we can't just eat up statistics.
the way they are framed can dramatically change the impression of the stat.

like if a doctor told you that
20% of patients die in this operation,
rather than 80% of patients have successful operations.
which would scare you more?
ironically it's the SAME stat.
it's basic human psychology.
the way these companies frame the stat affects the impact they make.

 

2006
<"On July 18, the Japanese auto giant announced a recall of 418,570 vehicles worldwide for faulty engine parts. This follows an even larger global recall of nearly one million cars and trucks at the end of May for faulty parts that could cause drivers to lose control of the steering wheel. ">

2005
<"in May 2005 it recalled more than 750,000 pickup trucks and every single 2006 Toyota model line from the Avalon to the Tundra has experienced some form of recall">


I think the point trying to be made here is that just because Toyota is SELLING so many vehicle, doesn't mean that they have top quality stuff....

 

Det news is very hard on Ford. You really can't compare SD to toyotas, they tow all of the Toy's trailer weight plust two tundras. Toyota hides a lot of cheapness under the plastic and where you can't see it. Ford's biggest truck issue is overbuilding them where you could go the toy route and skip a lot of steel in the corners.

The F-150 is soo heavy because it has sooo much metal in it. Its unbelieveable if you look underneath them, it was as if they were going to put the 6.4 in it when they designed it. The 5.4 just cant move it. Once Ford gets away from the modular in a couple years there will be nothing that can touch it.

 

There's another recall on the FJ cutting up tires but they released it on the FJ cruiser website so they technically did not have to announce it to public media. If the sludging issue ever becomes a recall it would be over 6M cars and suv's. They've just fought them tooth in nail in court for the time being. The cars affected are old enough now they will be able to squeak by. Most people denied warranty work simply replaced engines because they are so convinced they are reliable they apparently think it it's something they've done. I have had tons of import buyers insist their cars are so reliable and they only had to change a transmission, a blown head gasket and a steering rack in the 90k miles they've had it.


CR 'reliability' ratings are based on customer-submitted surveys with no totals being revealed for their 'data'. Do a post/poll on TMS and see how many CR subscribers there are here and sent in surveys. I'm still convinced that Toy/Hon has employees send in surveys-it would be a very 'Japanese' business move to do it. I go through thousands of high mileage vehicles a year for this dealer, there is no truly 'reliable' brand. Used Toyotas do not go through reconditioning with any less work needed then any other car. I have to scrap quite a few of them. I'll see a traded 99 camry with 89k thinking 'easy ebay car' to find out it needs a TON of work. I've had Taurus' with 250K plus in great shape that I didn't keep simply because the mileage number was too high.

You have a company like Toyota that is everybody's buddy with full Government support, both from Japan and the US including invisible tarrifs to keep opperating costs down versus Ford with a media that hates everything American and no help from the US Government for a company that helped build this nation. Toyota butters congressmen's bread to sell out this country to them lock stock and barrel. We're Toyota's Mexico. When it costs to much to build here and the subsidies run out, they're outta here. Ford can't afford to get Halliburton treatment(pretty much what Toyota gets from Japan).

 

+1..... couldn't have said it better.

 

hp=torque*rpm/5252. Why is this so hard for some people to understand???

Statments like above always come out of the standard comparisons between gas and diesel pickups. The modern diesel pickup will almost always end up being a better tow vehicle. But if you have a 400 hp gas engine in one truck and a 300 hp diesel engine in an otherwise identical truck, which truck will get that 10k lb trailer of the top of the 10% rise first?

If the driver is willing to spin the gas engine up to it's peak hp speed (probably around 5k rpm) AND the cooling system can keep the engine cool for the whole climb, the gas truck will kill the diesel truck. Every single time!

Power is POWER.

The diesel is a better tow engine because it makes it peak power MUCH closer to the normal operating speed of the engine. When you are driving down the road and need to accellerate some, you just squeeze the pedal and the vehicle goes because the engine is able to make a much higher percentage of it's peak HP at those lower engine speeds. A gas engine has to spin to make torque, which means it will make a lot more power for the same torque rating.

Now, if you were to say "low speed torque is (almost) everything in a truck", then I would have a harder time argueing with you.

 

And this is why I want to see what the BOSS engines can do....


cause you know we're getting them...eventually (in the mustang)
at least one of them...

 

I cannot wait for the Boss engines. I'm just praying Ford won't screw it up like they have done to important things in the past.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head,from average bear to another.Instead of whinning about the big antenna I bought smaller one

 

I can't believe that a poster would get on here and brag that he bought "a far superior vechile" that has had this many problems as it has. Sure it might be nice but it is new. Jsut wait more will go wrong with it just as Toyota is experiencing right now with many of thier vechiles.

There is a huge media bias against american brand companies and for the most part in most of the country the people believe it. I hope soon people realize we need the car companies as bad as we need them to make good cars.....we can't do what we do with out them

 

I only buy cars from makes that are based in the U.S. Ford, GM, Dodge, I'd much perfer to give my money to an American company who needs it, than a Japanese company who has fooled consumers about their superiority. Just my .02!

Another reason, is it's much cheaper to repair an American made car. No parts you have to have overnighted from Japan...

 

Yep over a week to get a belt on my moms Corolla, a belt on a Corolla for pete sake. Oh and it was $90 too. I still give her grief for buying a non american car too.