Lincoln Ranked Below Average In 2025 Vehicle Dependability Study

Both Ford and Lincoln have experienced their fair share of initial quality issues, recalls, and warranty claims in recent years, which have placed a rather large burden on both consumers and The Blue Oval itself. Regardless, Ford CEO Jim Farley remains adamant that the company is making progress in that regard, claims that have been backed up by a few recent studies showing improvements in quality. The latest is J.D. Power’s 2025 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), which reveals that Lincoln posted the second-best year-over-year improvement of any automotive brand.

Ford actually made the most progress compared to last year, moving up to 13^th among all of its peers with 208 problems reported per 100 vehicles (PP100), 10 spots better than 2024’s ranking of 23^rd at 239 PP100. Lincoln also improved considerably, posting a score of 221 PP100 in the 2025 VDS versus 251 last year, moving up from 25^th place in 2024 to 19^th this time around. As for the entire industry, its average PP100 actually increased from 190 last year to 202 this year, so The Blue Oval certainly bucked that trend. In fact. J.D. Power noted that vehicle problems after three years of ownership have reached the highest level since 2009, much of which can be attributed to a rise in software defects.

J.D. Power’s U.S. VDS covers 184 specific areas across nine major vehicle categories – including driver assistance, driving experience, infotainment, interior, and powertrain. The results are based on responses from more than 34,000 original owners of 2022 model year vehicles after three years of ownership. A lower score in the survey indicates higher vehicle quality.

“We’re encouraged by the progress we’re making to improve quality while staying focused on tougher testing and rigorous monitoring of new vehicles to make sure they are as good as they can be when they leave the factory,” said Josh Halliburton, Ford’s Executive Director of Quality. “We believe these actions will result in better long-term ownership experiences for our customers, like we saw in this year’s Vehicle Dependability Survey.”