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Ford Sync 3 Is A Big Reason Ford Quality Surged

Not long ago, we talked about the 2019 J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey rankings that were out and that there were a bunch of Ford and Lincoln vehicles in the top of their respective categories. The 2019 version of the survey marked the first time that both Ford and Lincoln were in the top five brands. The improvement is a marked change from only a few years ago and is in large part thanks to advances made in Ford Sync 3 infotainment systems.

As recently as 2013, MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch infotainment systems were the sources of numerous customer complaints. Those complaints were what pushed Ford and Lincoln vehicles near the bottom of the J.D. Power Initial quality survey results. MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch was the second gen of the Ford Sync system, and the systems were bug laden.

Owners complained that the systems crashed frequently and failed to respond quickly to touch commands. In 2015, Ford began to rely on Blackberry technology for its Ford Sync 3 platform, and with the massive jump in J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey rankings, that software has fixed Ford’s infotainment woes.

Ford acquired 400 workers from BlackBerry Ltd. in October of 2017 and stationed them at its new offices in Ottawa, Canada where they work on Ford Sync 3 infotainment system software. In this year’s survey, Ford ranked fourth, and Lincoln ranked fifth in initial quality behind Genesis, Kia, and Hyundai. That is a move up of one spot for Ford and a two-spot climb for Lincoln.

Reports indicate that both brands had slightly more problems per 100 vehicles this year than last year, but those are said to be mostly because of new driver-assist features. Ford president of automotive Joe Hinrichs said that the improvement was not an accident. He said that Ford was unsatisfied with where it was in 2012 and 2013 and set a goal to be the best. J.D. Power says that infotainment systems are the most problematic category for new car owners. Hinrichs says that Ford plans to improve its quality further and work to be number one.

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Source: The Detroit News

Shane is a car guy with a fondness for Mustangs and off-roading.

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