It’s no secret that Ford has struggled with quality issues, and oftentimes third party surveys can highlight specific problem areas or vehicles in the automaker’s lineup. In the United States, Consumer Reports publishes the most well known reliability survey, and historically, the Blue Oval has ranked below average when compared to its peers. This year, things have improved somewhat, as the Consumer Reports 2024 reliability survey reveals that the brand ranked average when compared against 21 other brands.
Source: Consumer Reports
This year, Consumer Reports included 22 brands in its annual reliability survey, down significantly from the 30 brands included in 2023’s survey. Lincoln was among the brands excluded due to insufficient data. As for Ford, it ranked 13th out of 22, although based on the publication’s proprietary ranking system, that allowed it to be rated as average, with 44 points total. That represents an improvement of four points compared to 2023. All of Ford’s Japanese rivals outranked the brand, while Buick was the only American brand to best the Blue Oval. The Ford Mustang was the brand’s most reliable vehicle this year, while the Ford F-150 hybrid Powerboost was the least reliable.
For the overall brand score, the publication weighs the overall problem rate for all models within a particular brand for each model year. The brand reliability score is calculated by averaging models from the 2022 to 2024 model year, although Consumer Reports says 2025 model year vehicles with sufficient sample size were included. For individual vehicle reliability, the publication asks its members about problems they’ve had with their cars in the previous 12 months of ownership. All told, it received data on more than 300,000 vehicles from the 2000-2024 model years, although some 2025 models were included. 20 trouble areas are studied ranging from minor issues like squeaky brakes and broken interior trim to more serious concerns like out of warranty powertrain issues, plus complications with EV batteries and charging. The severity of each issue is weighted and assigned a reliability score from 1 to 100.
CEO Jim Farley previously stated that he regrets not tackling quality issues sooner. He altered Ford management’s bonus compensation to include penalties for not meeting quality goals. The company also instituted a policy to delay the delivery of refreshed vehicles to dealers to iron out early issues. Earlier this year, Ford ranked above average in the 2024 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study.
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Dreaming of being Average—–