Ford ranks high in reliability

Last year, as the economy reeled and the auto industry teetered on the brink of collapse, Ford earned a dubious distinction: It was the only U.S. automaker that decided it could survive without a government bailout.

On Tuesday, Ford won a more straightforward honor. Consumer Reports, announcing its latest survey of more than a million subscribers, said its data demonstrated that Ford had "secured its position as the only Detroit automaker with world-class reliability."

For the third year in a row, Ford vehicles scored in the top tier of Consumer Reports' reliability rankings, long top-heavy with Japanese models.

The magazine said Ford's steady lead over its domestic competition and most European automakers showed its success wasn't an anomaly.

"It's not the best — Toyota and Honda still are the best," said Jake Fisher, a senior automotive engineer at Consumer Reports and manager of its online-automotive content.

"But the point is that for the last three years it has maintained its position. So it's not a fluke."

Ford's Mercury nameplate ranked 10th among 33 brands in Consumer Reports' ratings of brands' predicted reliability for 2010 models — behind seven Japanese brands, South Korea's Hyundai, and Germany's Porsche.

Although its Ford and Lincoln nameplates came in lower, Ford's overall results as a manufacturer continued to be impressive.

Ninety percent of all Ford models — 46 out of 51 — were found to have at least average reliability. And Fisher said Ford did even better by other measures, such as the reliability of some of its top-selling cars.

Ford's Detroit-area competitors, General Motors and Chrysler, didn't fare as well, however.

Chrysler had only one model that Consumer Reports recommended based on reliability and its staff test, and the Chrysler brand finished last out of 33 brands sold in the U.S. One third of Chrysler's models were much worse than average in reliability.

Six models from GM were recommended by the magazine, but it's still inconsistent. Only 21 of 48 models the magazine studied scored average or better in reliability.

The relatively poor performance by GM and Chrysler could hurt efforts to fight back from financial problems that led to stays in bankruptcy court earlier this year. Auto-industry officials say the nonprofit Consumer Reports is among the most widely consulted sources when people buy vehicles.

The Consumer Reports survey also found that higher-priced cars aren't necessarily more reliable than less-expensive ones. Inexpensive small cars and midsize family sedans were the most reliable in the survey, which questions subscribers about 17 potential problem areas.

Information from

The Associated Press

is included in this report.