The Ford Mustang hasn’t posted the best results in a number of recent surveys, earning a below-average predicted reliability score from Consumer Reports that landed it at the bottom of the organization’s American sports car ratings. Meanwhile, some 2019 Ford Mustang owners have reported having problems with the car’s 10-speed automatic transmission, an issue that undoubtedly plays into those ratings. Regardless, Ford, as a brand, recently ranked above average in J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, and now that same organization has named the 2019 Ford Mustang as its highest ranked mid-size sports car in terms of dependability.
The 2019 Mustang beat out the runner-up – the Chevy Camaro – to take home the honor, which specifically studies three-year-old vehicles in regards to dependability. The vehicles in this study were first examined in J.D. Power’s 2019 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS), though the Vehicle Dependability Study measures owner satisfaction with a vehicle’s condition after three years, whether those owners find their vehicle as appealing now as when they first bought it, and what software updates have been made to the vehicle in that time span.
J.D. Power has tweaked its Vehicle Dependability Study in recent years to account for the technology features present in modern vehicles. Now, the study covers 184 different problem areas across nine major categories – climate, driving assistance, driving experience, exterior, features/controls/ displays, infotainment, interior, powertrain, and seats. While the number of overall problems actually decreased this year for mass-market brands, infotainment-related issues remain the biggest nuisance for owners.
“Many owners are holding on to their vehicles longer, so long-term dependability is even more critical,” said David Amodeo, director of global automotive at J.D. Power. “Some automakers are performing much better than others at preventing problems from occurring. These problems include the vehicle’s mechanicals, exterior, and interior – but also infotainment systems, driver assistance systems, and all the other electronic systems in today’s vehicles.”
We’ll have more on the Mustang soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Mustang news and 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comment
The Mustang has been one of Fords best successes. I own a 2006 GT and its a great car. But its too bad they did not upgrade the Fusion after it was redesigned. It was and excellent and people loved them. Then, like always they forgot about it and then stopped it. Other companies are still selling mid sized cars like the Fusion and as Toyota and Honda are proving there is still a huge market for it. Many people with the Fusion are ending up going to a different brand. My friend just told me when her lease is up on the Fusion I will just buy a Honda, Toyota or Kia. Not every one wants an SUV. Ford should have kept the Fusion and made it more competitive but instead they chose to lose more customers.