US-based Ford Motor Company now has the highest customer satisfaction with vehicle quality among all major automakers, said a new consumer research study.

Eighty-four percent of customers who purchased 2010 model-year Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars and trucks are satisfied with the quality of their vehicle, a four-percentage point improvement since the fourth quarter of 2009, according to the first quarter Global Quality Research System (GQRS) study conducted for Ford by RDA Group of Bloomfield Hills, in the US state of Michigan.

With the improvement, Ford’s customer satisfaction scores are now significantly higher than all other full-line automotive manufacturers, including Asian and European automakers, according to the study.

The study also showed Ford has the fewest number of vehicle defects or “things gone wrong” (TGW) among all full-line manufacturers in the first three months of ownership.

Owners of 2010 model Ford, Lincoln and Mercury owners reported 1,107 TGWs per 1,000 vehicles -- an eight per cent improvement compared to last year.

“To become the No 1 automaker in terms of customer satisfaction with vehicle quality is amazing accomplishment and testament to the whole company’s commitment to quality,” said Bennie Fowler, Ford group vice president, global quality.

“All the third parties studies are showing the same thing – Ford now has world-class quality.”

As Ford’s quality has improved, it has reduced warranty repair rates on vehicles in their first three months of service by an average of more than 40 per cent in every major business region around the world in the past three years.

“Ford has proven its commitment to quality by demonstrating steady improvements through consistency and discipline.” said Donald Pietrowski, president, RDA Group.

“Those improvements are clearly reflected in rising customer satisfaction with its products,” he added.

Ford captured eight segment leaders in customer satisfaction, TGW or both. Notably, Fusion Hybrid owners now report 93 per cent satisfaction with the quality of their vehicle while 92 per cent of Taurus owners are satisfied.

These gains in quality have also contributed to a 23 per cent year-over-year improvement in the resale values of Ford vehicles with one to five years on the road – outpacing the industry average by four percentage points, said the study.

“While we are proud of the progress we’ve made, we know how important it is to keep the momentum going,” said Fowler. “We can never be satisfied.”

Hussein Murad, Ford Middle East’s director of sales, said: “This is another achievement for the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brand, proving that we are on the right path with our One Ford plan.”

“Customers in the Middle East will be pleased to learn that their decisions to own any of our vehicles, especially Taurus, is backed by real-time data from customers around the world who are satisfied with the quality of our products,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service