KIA CARNIVAL AND K4 MODELS NAMED SEGMENT WINNERS IN JD POWER 2026 U.S. INITIAL QUALITY STUDY (IQS)
Ford climbed to third overall with 152 problems per 100 vehicles as the industry posted its biggest quality gain since 1997, J.D. Power said.
- On Friday, June 26, 2026, Ford Motor secured the top spot among mainstream automakers in the 2026 Initial Quality Study, jumping to third overall with 152 problems per 100 vehicles.
- Ford initiated this quality turnaround in 2023 to reverse reactive methods, hiring about 315 technical specialists since then to guide engineers through structured peer reviews.
- Adopting the "gemba" philosophy—meaning "the real place"—Ford teams identify issues on site, while the company scaled up more than 100,000 automated tests and tears down an engine daily to detect defects.
- In 2024, federal regulators required Ford to enter a $165 million consent order to enhance recall processes, addressing warranty costs that previously impacted profitability.
- Ford CEO Jim Farley stated the company aims to be the highest quality manufacturer in all aspects, though connectivity issues caused a "sharp rise" in reported problems across the industry.
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SUBARU ASCENT EARNS TOP JD POWER RANKING IN 2026 US INITIAL QUALITY STUDY
Subaru Ascent earns top spot in Upper Midsize SUV categorySubaru brand outpaced industry average, key rivals in annual survey2027 Subaru Ascent now available starting at $40,795 MSRP
Ford shares lifted by positive consumer quality survey
Shares of Ford rose 2% in afternoon trading. (EPA Images pic) NEW YORK: Shares of Ford got a lift Thursday when a prominent US consumer survey extolled the Michigan auto giant’s quality performance, a sign of improvement after stumbles in recent years. Ford ranked first among mass market brands in the JD Power 2026 US Initial Quality Study, which is based on a survey of more than 78,000 consumers questioned on vehicle performance after 90 days o…
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KIA CARNIVAL AND K4 MODELS NAMED SEGMENT WINNERS IN JD POWER 2026 U.S. INITIAL QUALITY STUDY (IQS)
2026 Carnival tops the Minivan segment and the 2026 K4 is number one in the Compact Car segmentK4 is the second highest ranking model in initial quality industry wide Kia Mexico manufacturing plant – where the K4 is produced –…
Ford sees big improvement in J.D. Power Initial Quality Study
Ford was the mainstream auto brand with the highest initial quality in J.D. Power's latest study, a milestone for the Dearborn automaker's years-long effort to turn around its quality issues whose warranty and recall costs weighed on its balance sheets and reputation.
Ford Went From Recall King To JD Power's Top Mainstream Brand For Initial Quality
Porsche, Genesis, and Ford have topped a new initial quality study. Overall quality is improvement, but infotainment remains an issue. BMW dominated with six segment awards, while Audi struggled. Ford is the undisputed recall king as the company conducted 153 campaigns last year. 2026 is shaping up to be slightly better as they’ve issued 51 recalls so far, which puts them well ahead of Stellantis (19), GM (17), and Toyota (15). While the rec…
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