Worst car in the world is...

[ny2oc1996]

According to the new 2013 J.D. Power quality survey released on Wednesday, the worst car in the world for quality is the Ford C-Max. The C-Max finished dead last in the latest 2013 survey with more consumer complaints than any other vehicle. The C-Max scored 222 complaints per 100 vehicles sold compared to the industry average of 113. Many complaints were related to the MyFord Touch infotainment system. Supposedly Ford fired a pre-emptive strick against this upcoming J.D. Power survey on Monday by announcing they are throwing in the towel and will now add low-tech knobs to their confusing electronic touch systems. Given the fact that our Fusuion shares the same powerplant and MyFord touch system as the C-Max this is somewhat disturbing news.

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/06/20/ford-cmax-jd-power-initial-quality-study-iqs/2440589/

 

 

The surprising news is the dramatic rise in quality for GM. In 23 separate vehicle categories, J.D. Powers rates the top three vehicles in order. GM placed 14 vehicles on this "best of" list. Ford placed one (the Mustang which actually was tied with Camaro). According to J.D. Power's vice president Dave Sargent, GM now has the best quality of any car corporation in the industry! Of the 33 vehicle manufacturers, Ford placed near the very bottom (27th).

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/06/19/jd-power-initial-quality-survey-gm-ford/2437115/

 

 

Although Ford has been seeing strong sales on Fusion, F-150 etc. there have been problems elsewhere in the line. Ford like GM has finally been thinning the herd of dead weight. Ford shelved the entire Mercury brand and Lincoln sales have not been good. Industry insiders are wondering if the Lincoln brand can survive. Even in the Ford line some models are being eyeballed such as the Flex. Flex sales are down 23.9% over last year which was a paltry year to begin with. Consumers have likened it to a rolling refrigerator.

 

Now to be fair it can be said that many of Ford's quality issues are the result of pushing cutting edge technology such as their MyFord Touch infotainment system and their Ecoboost engine designs. There certainly is some truth in that as many other car makers, including German ones have experienced some of the same growing pains. It should also be noted that some brands such as Lexus have avoided any of the electronic issues. Yet Toyota, Honda and Nissan have just recalled over 3 million vehicles for dangerous airbag issues.

 

My own personal view is to avoid making generalizations and look at each issue separately. The Apple iPhone was the gold standard in cutting edge technology and build quality yet we witnessed the siri voice issues and the Apple maps debacle. So I give the MyFord Touch a pass although removing all the knobs was poor design planning.

 

Leaking Ford fuel lines resulting in fires? Sorry Ford, this is strickly rank amatuer. Fifty years ago double steel walled fuel lines with double flared ends threaded in place did not leak. And the overheating due to insufficient electric engine cooling fan operation? This is not rocket science and does make you wonder. After a flawed design is proposed, what kind of quality control team carefully checks/tests this and gives a big stamp of approval?

 

Finally, Ford gets high marks for handling these issues. They really were for the most part open about them and moved quickly to resolve them. That counts for something.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

?

 

 

 

 

[acdii]

Part of the reason Flex sales are low is they DONT advertise it! Once someone gets past the outer looks of it and actually gets in and drives it, totally different outcome. It is surprisingly roomy inside, handles very well and is very versatile, and its Ford's fault it isnt selling well. I heard they dont push it because they cant make enough of them, so who knows. Try finding one on a dealers lot, very few of them available, and usually they are either the low end SE, or loaded up Limited, and they also pulled the Ecoboost SEL model.

 

As far as the ranking, if the major complaints are regarding the ability to use the MFT, due to being confusing, and the learning curve, and not due to reliability or mechanical issues, then that ranking is not well deserved. Its the same story with CR with these cars, they get low balled because people have a hard time learning new things, and the glitches the system has. I do think Ford screwed up releasing it in so many cars before it was fully functional, the old system worked so much better, never had a problem with it in the Fusion or F150.

[hybridbear]

Very sad to hear. I hope they get the quality issues figure out soon. Both the FFH & C-Max seem to have a lot of build quality issues

[jeff_h]

Very sad to hear. I hope they get the quality issues figure out soon. Both the FFH & C-Max seem to have a lot of build quality issues

 

Well if a good chunk of those reported issues are related to MFT, then otherwise the rest falls into place as pretty normal, doesn't it?

 

On the Fusion build issues, maybe running a steady stream of max (or more) plant capacity is a factor there, as I noted months ago how the rubber stripping was not properly installed on either side of my pax doors - which seems to be as a simple human error. Nope it shouldn't happen, but my thinking is that the higher the pace, the easier it is to overlook small things.

[aaronj1159]

They were saying that GM isn't expected to stay ranked so high due to the large number of 1st model year vehicles they're about to release. In short, they're about to have the problems Ford is with the C-Max and the Fusion.

[Waldo]

Ford has by far the highest industry % take rate on the "high-tech" systems is MFT. If you actually look closely at the numbers, you see that other manufacturers have very similar complaint levels on their MFT equivalent systems. Cadilac's CUE and Acura's new system actually have more compaints per user than Ford's MFT. The problem for Ford is that such a high percentage of their sales now have MFT, that it brings the overall average down. As other OEMs start selling more and more high-tech systems, their numbers will drop down to where Ford currently is or below.

[Waldo]

 

 

Leaking Ford fuel lines resulting in fires? Sorry Ford, this is strickly rank amatuer. Fifty years ago double steel walled fuel lines with double flared ends threaded in place did not leak. And the overheating due to insufficient electric engine cooling fan operation? This is not rocket science and does make you wonder. After a flawed design is proposed, what kind of quality control team carefully checks/tests this and gives a big stamp of approval?

 

Just to clear up a couple points, it's not actually the fuel line that's leaking. It's the little nipple on the fuel pump assembly that can crack and leak. I haven't seen any proof one way or the other that this is a design problem or a supplier quality (material properties?) issue, but it's not uncommon for a supplier to provide nice, carefully made, thoroughly checked parts to Ford for all the testing, then to make slight changes once high volume production gets underway.

Also the overheating issue had nothing to do with fan operation. it was Ford trying to advance cooling system design by introducing a bunch of bypass valves and strategy to rapidly heat the coolant, but missing a key failure mode in the system. The failure mode is not a mode that could happen in a conventional cooling system, so I would say that yes, it is bordering on the rocket science level.

[acdii]

Ford has by far the highest industry % take rate on the "high-tech" systems is MFT. If you actually look closely at the numbers, you see that other manufacturers have very similar complaint levels on their MFT equivalent systems. Cadilac's CUE and Acura's new system actually have more compaints per user than Ford's MFT. The problem for Ford is that such a high percentage of their sales now have MFT, that it brings the overall average down. As other OEMs start selling more and more high-tech systems, their numbers will drop down to where Ford currently is or below.

In a way though, this will work out in Fords benefit as the others get more out in theirs, by then Ford will have the bugs worked out and will be at the top then in the tech side, with the rest playing catch up. Another factor is the human factor. What Ford engineers might think of as simple and easy to use, can be quite the opposite when it comes to what we call "Layer 8" ( IT people who understand the 7 Layers of IP will get this one) users who have a hard time using a microwave to boil water. So in a sense we the consumer help Ford make a better system by using it and bitching about how this doesn't work, or this is a pain to use, etc.

 

Always look on the bright side of life.

[djminfll]

To be honest, if Ford was #1 and my car was a lemon, I would hate the car; likewise, if Ford was last on the list and my car had no issues, I'd still love the car.

What astounds me, however, is that some of the notoriously least reliable brands are so high on the list. No offense to anyone who might own one of these, but Chrysler, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Ram and GMC all are higher on the list than Ford. I would not ever consider one of these cars because of their reputations for horrendous reliability. In addition, when something does go wrong with a Land Rover, M-B, or Jaguar, the repair costs are substantially higher.

[rjent]

Actually I am going to throw out another point of view. JD Power has been known to play "politics" with their ratings. I have read multiple of articles over the last few years about their political slant on their findings. Either way you look at the article, it seems slanted to me. I am NOT going to comment or debate my interpretation, but just be advised from an opinionated old cowboy that not all things are as good, or as bad, as the press sometimes presents. There are lots of reasons to slant news, or opinions in these articles. I see one in this .... :)

 

JMHO

Edited June 22, 2013 by rjent

[Aquineas]

Well, suck it up Ford. Time to get your stuff together and fix it; it's as simple as that.

Edited June 21, 2013 by Aquineas

[acdii]

Actually I am going to throw out another point of view. JD Power has been know to play "politics" with their ratings. I have read multiple of articles over the last few years about their political slant on their findings. Either way you look at the article, it seems slanted to me. I am NOT going to comment or debate my interpretation, but just be advised from an opinionated old cowboy that not all thing are as good, or as bad, as the press sometimes presents. There are lots of reasons to slant news, or opinions in these articles. I see one in this .... :)

 

JMHO

Um yeah, news these days, cant believe a word they say anymore. Journalism is dead, money talks, BS walks as they say.

[Sleddog]

As far as the ranking, if the major complaints are regarding the ability to use the MFT, due to being confusing, and the learning curve, and not due to reliability or mechanical issues, then that ranking is not well deserved. Its the same story with CR with these cars, they get low balled because people have a hard time learning new things, and the glitches the system has. I do think Ford screwed up releasing it in so many cars before it was fully functional, the old system worked so much better, never had a problem with it in the Fusion or F150.

 

My wife is not very tech orientated. The idea of the touch screen has her a little leery of the driving a FFH. She will get the hang of it after using it for a while. She has even said, if it's too difficult for her to operate the MFT, she will not drive the car. Sometimes the learning curve is so steep, people give up on using something like this instead of learning what is needed to operate it correctly. And that can skew the numbers.

[corncobs]

They should have partnered with Apple there isn't a much simpler to understand "HMI" ( human machine interface ) out there IMO.

 

I design HMI's or Operator interfaces for all kinds of machines as part of my job and nothing is more important than clear and understandable interface that doesn't need much explaination (operators aren't highly paid people) and that's what the MFT is for the most part.

 

There are a few things that I can point to and say that's not good.

One requirement I have is if you change a page and the same button exist on both pages this button can't move locations; MFT needs some work in that respect.

[rjent]

I think that the main problem with the "interface" (and I too have developed HI's) is that the system is trying to protect us from ourselves too much. There may be too much of that in every facet of life lately ....

[corncobs]

@ rjent

 

You are probably right about the protect us from ourselves but that's the fine line you will always walk on designing stuff like this!

For some people like us it's too protective and for others they aren't protected enough. It's almost like either way you go will be wrong for people at each end of the bell curve. Just my opinion since I know how difficult compromise can be.

[Riggo]

I never understand the complaints with MFT. I love it (except for the "sheduled system maintenance" reboot). I guess there is a good amount of people that are not tech savvy. I'm glad I got this car before they ruin it with a bunch of unneeded buttons and dials.

Edited June 22, 2013 by Riggo

[elle]

There are issues with MFT, but being "confusing" is not one of them, unless you are completely tech-challenged, as many of these reviewers seem to be. You have four functions and each has been assigned a corner of the screen for quick access. Once there, the information is readily apparent. I think that the real issue is that there are too many crotchety old men writing car reviews.

Edited June 22, 2013 by elle

[acdii]

The one issue I do have with MFT is not being able to access certain screens unless you are at the home screen. If I want to go to Info or Settings and in Entertainment, I should be able to, but it doesn't allow it.

 

My other gripe is with my Flex. the CD/DVD eject touch button is in such a place that I am always touching it when using the MFT, and have to wait for the stupid, No CD splash to go away. Both MFT's are the same, only the FFH has the Hybrid screen in addition to the rest.

 

On the Hybrid Screen, with all this tech behind it, you would think they would have at least a couple other screens like the 2010 had, where you can also see your MPG graph as well as charge levels and instant. Would be great to have it there as well as the left panel on the dash. You could then have all the information there at a glance instead of switching between screens on the steering wheel.

[hybridbear]

On the Hybrid Screen, with all this tech behind it, you would think they would have at least a couple other screens like the 2010 had, where you can also see your MPG graph as well as charge levels and instant. Would be great to have it there as well as the left panel on the dash. You could then have all the information there at a glance instead of switching between screens on the steering wheel.

I agree. If the 2013 had offered this kind of information on the center screen we would have paid the extra money to get the center touch screen and MFT

[acdii]

I agree. If the 2013 had offered this kind of information on the center screen we would have paid the extra money to get the center touch screen and MFT

Though it might not help you any, there is always the possibility Ford will listen and add it in the next update. They added this screen with the 3.5.1 update, the previous one had no Hybrid screen.

[acdii]

I agree. If the 2013 had offered this kind of information on the center screen we would have paid the extra money to get the center touch screen and MFT

Though it might not help you any, there is always the possibility Ford will listen and add it in the next update. They added this screen with the 3.5.1 update, the previous one had no Hybrid screen.

[vangonebuy]

MFT has its flaws.

The buttons are small and hard to hit at times.

 

The Climate system can be difficult to just turn on the fan only and direct to my feet and mid body vents.

Fat fingers, I guess.

 

And the super touch sensitive console buttons has had me turn on some SUPER HOT heater/defroster feature a few times.

When all I wanted to do was change to the Entertainment screen.

 

Love the car.

Bigger touch screen buttons for a option or upgrade would be great.

But, Many console buttons is not the future.

 

Yesterday, I was at the Apple store. My son kept sticking his fingers on all the screens.

Till he realized that iMac's and MacBooks screens are not touch sensitive.

It was a deal killer. Immediately.

 

Change is not always smooth. Ask Windows 8.

[ny2oc1996]

 

Just to clear up a couple points, it's not actually the fuel line that's leaking. It's the little nipple on the fuel pump assembly that can crack and leak. I haven't seen any proof one way or the other that this is a design problem or a supplier quality (material properties?) issue, but it's not uncommon for a supplier to provide nice, carefully made, thoroughly checked parts to Ford for all the testing, then to make slight changes once high volume production gets underway.

Also the overheating issue had nothing to do with fan operation. it was Ford trying to advance cooling system design by introducing a bunch of bypass valves and strategy to rapidly heat the coolant, but missing a key failure mode in the system. The failure mode is not a mode that could happen in a conventional cooling system, so I would say that yes, it is bordering on the rocket science level.

 

I was referring to two separate fuel “line” leak recalls that Ford issued. The first one in July was on the 2013 Ford Escape which had a defective fuel line under the hood that can split open and become a serious fire risk. The risk was so great that Ford told the Escape owners to park their vehicles and do not drive them until after the repairs are made. The second one in September was on the Ford Edge involving a fuel line pulse damper that was cracking and leaking fuel.

 

The little nipple on the fuel pump that you are referencing was another fire hazard. While you speculated about a possible supplier quality issue the end result is that this fuel delivery module cracks because it is made of plastic. This is why I referenced fuel line design and materials of 50 years ago.

 

Regarding your statement about the fan having nothing to do with the overheating, as far as I know, Ford never released the specifics regarding the fix for this overheating problem. Their filing with the NHTSA states that they reprogrammed the power control module and the instrument cluster with overheating strategy software. The most detailed account that I read was actually in a newspaper which only explained one specific. The report said that the engine cooling fan did not come on at a critical time and the new software update includes a patch to turn on that fan during that critical time. It did mention there were other fixes involved in the software update.

 

Finally, you would say this is on the level of rocket science? That’s just silly.

 

As a 2013 Ford vehicle owner I am concerned about what’s going on. Many casual visitors to this forum are not aware of the big picture. And to complicate things even more, the Ford fan boys have a tendency to rush in and excuse away or deflect many of these Ford quality issues. I know because I am one of those Ford fan boys. I took a shot at Consumer Reports and gave the whole MFT system a pass in my assessment when an objective analysis would be critical of MFT and only attack Consumer Reports on the editorial side and not their numbers. So that being said, let’s try to have an objective discussion of what is really happening now.

 

Ford currently is experiencing an avalanche of problems on their engineering and quality control side. Ironically, corporate Ford is behaving very responsibly especially in reaction to these difficult problems.

 

The first fuel line fire hazard on the 2013 Escape that I mentioned above wasn’t the only safety recall. There was a second one regarding defective carpet padding that could interfere with the driver switching their foot from the gas to the brake pedal. A third safety recall for the overheating problem that was also a fire hazard and a fourth one for a faulty cylinder head core plug that could pop out, leak fluid that could result in a fire. A fifth safety recall in March of this year was regarding a defective child safety lock in the Escape, C-Max and Focus that would allow the door to be opened from the inside while the car was in motion.

 

The 2013 Lincoln MKZ was recalled for a faulty block heater insulation that some press reports listed as a shock hazard and others refer to as a fire hazard.

 

This past August Ford recalled 500,000 Explorers for a faulty speed control system that may not disengage.

 

This past October Ford recalled 262,000 Fiesta’s to fix an airbag problem.

 

The very latest Ford Fusion recall is for a missing steering gear retaining clip that can result in a loss of steering (thankfully only 20 vehicles involved).

 

All of these recalls came just in the last few months and there are others but since 2009 Ford leads all manufacturers in the world in recalls. Just the three of fire hazard recalls involve well over a half a million vehicles. So, Ford is at the very bottom of the JD Powers quality survey, not just for some MFT issues, not because JD Powers or Consumer reports are untrustworthy, not because some supplier screwed up and not because all journalism is dead. Ford is in this position because they have a “systemic” problem in their engineering and quality control units.

 

Ford designs these cars and their systems. And obviously outside contractors have to be used in this industry. However, it is Ford who either hands them the design and when that is not the case, Ford submits the parameters. Even if Ford purchased an entire system such as a Borg Warner 4WD system, it is Ford’s responsibility to integrate it and test it to their satisfaction. Ford claims to lead the world in quality control programs using 3D mapping, PPR, simulators etc. which can identify a mechanical defect years before a vehicle even goes into production. And it’s not all hype. These tools do in fact exist. So what’s the problem then?

 

If this was just a supplier screw up or anything thing else beyond Ford’s control, it would just be a blip along the way or two blips. But this is an avalanche that has been moving with greater momentum as the months go by. Unfortunately there are no signs of things getting better. Whether you look at JD Powers or the recalls it is very clear as to the direction Ford has been going. Although there is some truth in the release of new models often yielding new problems, let’s be clear many, many manufacturers release new models and go years without one recall, safety or otherwise.

When I ordered my FFH the aluminum pedals were on the dealer order sheet (I have a copy of it) and they just shipped the car without the pedals and without any notification to me. Others received their cars without the leather shift knob that they paid for. Ford is not dishonest. They are simply disjointed. That is why I say it is a “systemic” problem. They cannot surgically repair this. It’s time to own it, clean house and focus (pun intended).

 

As a 2013 FFH owner, I was not involved in those any of those fire hazard recalls. But I feel like I’m dodging bullets here. Does the next fire hazard have my family’s name on it? Many of these safety recalls take months and even years to completely reveal themselves. We can presume that there are more to come.

 

Even if Ford somehow magically inserted the best automotive engineers and the most effective quality control program tonight at midnight, it would still take at least two years for the currently identified and unidentified quality issues to run their course.

 

Many of us on this forum are the ones who are responsible for choosing this vehicle to put our family members in. There were 600 complaints of leaks before Ford issued the overheating recall and there may have been legitimate reasons for waiting that long. But as forum members we do not help ourselves by trying to explain this, excusing this away or in any way tacitly accepting this onslaught. The best way to keep Ford vigilant in dealing with us in regard to these safety related problems that we did not bargain for is to respond to these events with all our voices raised in a chorus of concern.

[corncobs]

What an article well written!

One of the problems I see today is the higher pace of new models being released. Sure new models are tested extensively and use modern computer technology to simulate the life of a car but nothing replaces real world everyday driving.

All manufactures have same issue some are more "lucky" than others when it comes to failing parts. The consumer is always the one who is effected and that's not right but somehow it's the strategy of any automaker to involve each new car buyer into their testing efforts.