Ford has been ranked the highest mainstream automotive brand in the 2026 J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS), marking its first top position in the annual survey since 2010.
The manufacturer moved from 15th place in 2023 to first among mainstream brands in the latest study, which measures problems experienced by owners during the first 90 days of vehicle ownership.
Ford also ranked second among automotive corporations and third overall among all brands. According to J.D. Power, the Ford F-150, Mustang and Super Duty each topped their respective segments for the second consecutive year, while the Escape, Explorer, Expedition and Maverick all placed among the top three in their categories.
Jim Farley, Ford President and CEO, said: “This is a proud day for everyone at Ford, and the result of years of intensive work across our company. 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 J.D. Power, said Ford ranked “highest among mass market brands”, adding that “the Ford F-150, Ford Mustang and Ford Super Duty ranked highest in their respective segments.”
Ford said it reduced the number of problems reported per 100 vehicles by 41 compared with last year’s survey, the largest year on year improvement among mainstream brands. The company also reported improvements in infotainment quality and powertrain performance, with software enhancements contributing to lower customer reported issues. Lincoln improved its position in the premium brand rankings, moving from eighth to sixth.
The company attributed the improvement to organisational changes introduced over the past three years, including closer integration of its engineering, manufacturing, supply chain and quality teams under a single operating structure.
Chief Operating Officer Kumar Galhotra said: “Bringing them together allows us to look at the entire ecosystem of a vehicle, from the intricacies of software development to the deepest tier of the supply chain to the plant floor, as one continuous, collaborative flow. We rallied the whole company around a clear vision: Quality Comes First.”
Galhotra added that the latest ranking represents progress rather than an end goal. Ford also cited earlier supplier involvement in vehicle development, additional engineering reviews, greater use of factory floor feedback and expanded software testing as contributors to the improved quality results.
“We’re averaging over eight ideas per project from operators, and we are investing to support them, like adding AI vision systems to help identify anomalies,” said Bryce Currie, Ford Chief Manufacturing Officer.
Chief Supply Chain Officer Liz Door added: “It’s easy to celebrate heroes fixing problems. What we really want is to celebrate zero defects.”
