Ford is the new gold standard for mass market new vehicle quality in America, ranking as the top mainstream brand in the closely watched JD Power 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS) — an achievement 16 years in the making.
The company surpassed the industry’s traditional mass market leaders in IQS, climbing from No. 15 in 2023 to No. 1 among mainstream brands in the annual survey of new buyers.
“This is a proud day for everyone at Ford, and the result of years of intensive work across our company,” said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO. “Many doubted that an American company with a huge American workforce could compete with the world’s best on quality, let alone reach the top. But we put our heads down and worked together every day to deliver for our customers. Today, Ford is not only the most American automaker but also the gold standard for new vehicle quality.”
Thomas King, president of OEM solutions at JD Power, said Ford not only ranked “highest among mass market brands,” but also “the Ford F-150, Ford Mustang and Ford Super Duty ranked highest in their respective segments.”
It is the second year in a row that those three iconic vehicles won their segments.
The Ford Escape, Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition and Ford Maverick also landed among the top three in their segments. That means seven of Ford’s 10 models tested placed in the top three in their segments, the highest percentage of any other automaker.
Ford also ranks second overall among corporations and third overall among brands. Ford improved by 41 fewer problems per 100 vehicles compared with last year, the largest year-over-year improvement among mainstream brands. The momentum extends to Lincoln, which climbs to No. 6 from No. 8 among premium brands.
Ford improved in nearly every vehicle category measured by JD Power. Driven by software improvements, infotainment quality saw the largest leap forward, performing 11 points better than the industry average, while powertrain reliability also improved significantly. Reaching best-in-class quality levels is the culmination of an intensive multi-year effort. Here’s how Ford methodically moved from quality also-ran to leader.
