So many Ford executives believe that the buying public's ownership experience doesn't matter and that loyalty to the brand will remain regardless.
Another ho-e in the di-e and Ford is running out of fingers to plug them all.
Ford Authority: Historically speaking, the Ford Mustang has fared rather well in terms of quality, including its recent segment win in J.D. Power’s 2020 Initial Quality Study (IQS). Now, on the heels of Ford’s unimpressive yet improved ranking in the 2021 Consumer Reports reliability survey, the 2022 Ford Mustang has followed suit with a below-average predicted reliability score that caused the pony car to lose its coveted “recommended” status from the consumer organization.
Consumer Reports notes that the 2022 Ford Mustang now carries a below-average predicted reliability score due to the fact that owners of 2019-2021 models – CR determines a model’s overall reliability score based on survey results for the newest three model years – have faced a number of issues over the last 12 months. These problems include rough-shifting transmissions that required software reboots or updates at the dealer to correct, as well as display screens that tend to go blank or freeze, in some cases requiring a hardware replacement.
“Due to dwindling inventories of cars and parts, vehicle reliability is more important than ever,” said Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports. “Since some problems don’t develop right away, our reliability ratings look at up to three years of the model’s history. The best choices are the ones that are consistently trouble-free year over year.”
The Mustang is one of 12 vehicles that lost its recommended rating due to a dip in reliability over the last year. Consumer Reports gathers its data via online questionnaires that it sends to its members, who identify any problems they’ve experienced over the last 12 months across 17 different categories covering everything from the vehicle’s drivetrain to its electronics and even paintwork. In total, CR has a pretty extensive database encompassing 300,000 vehicles over the last 20 years.