Punch in the Stomach

[LukerDooker]

(op)- ...Ford vehicle problems look to be systemic...
Relief for current owners of 5th gen with any issues will be slow and painful as dealers and shops could be overwhelmed with every rattle and squeak as well as serious safety issues, from a lot of Ford models, with only some dealerships able to offer decent customer service and skilled technicians.(op)


http://autos.yahoo.com/news/10-least-reliable-cars-140000315.html

The 10 least reliable cars
ConsumerReports.orgBy Liza Barth | ConsumerReports.org – 3 hours ago

Just because a model is reliable, doesn't mean it is recommended by Consumer Reports. Five out of the top 10 most reliable vehicles don't perform well enough in our tests for us to recommend them. The opposite happens as well; some vehicles that score well in our testing are not recommended because they have below average predicted reliability.

Three out of the 10 least reliable vehicles have high-enough test scores to be recommended, but their poor reliability prevents them from reaching that recommended status. So, it's important to look at performance in our tests and reliability, because a high scoring car isn't always a smart purchase choice if it isn't reliable.

Our 2013 Annual Auto Survey reveals the best and worst vehicles in new car reliability based on our subscribers' experiences with 1.1 million vehicles over the last 10 years (2004-2013). Our data provide the basis for our forecasting how the 2014 models are likely to hold up, and reveals the most dependable used cars as well.

The vehicles listed below are the 10 least reliable new cars in our reliability survey. Predicted reliability is typically based on the newest three model years if a model hasn't been redesigned in that period, Models with an asterisk (*) are based on data of one model year only. Click on the vehicles below to visit the model overview pages to see how they performed in our tests and also view a more-detailed look at reliability broken down by 17 potential trouble spots. (Model overview pages are available to online subscribers.)

Least reliable vehicles, listed in order of Ratings score starting with the worst score.

1. Ford C-MAX Energi (Plug-in Hybrid)*
2. Ford Escape (1.6L Ecoboost)*
3. Mini Cooper Countryman
4. Ford C-Max Hybrid
5. Nissan Pathfinder*
6. Volkswagen Beetle
7. Cadillac XTS*
8. Ford Explorer (V6, 4WD)
9. Hyundai Genesis Coupe*
10. Ford Taurus (turbo)*

For more details on our 2013 Annual Auto Survey, including the full list of most and least reliable new cars by vehicle type, see our complete car reliability report. Also, check out our guide to car reliability for more details on new and used car reliability and owner satisfaction.

—Liza Barth

 

[xxboarderxx]

That's interesting. I'd like to know if it was the MFT issues that put the Explorer on the list...

 

[dco43054]

Not a surprise. The JD Powers results have shown the same thing since release of the new Explorer.

With the exception of MFT, I really like my Explorer - but MFT is a constant, nagging PITA. There is a fault of one kind or another it seems almost every day. Does it affect drivability? Most times, no. Have I told everyone who asks to stay away from the POS MFT if at all possible? Yep.

 

[xxboarderxx]

Not a surprise. The JD Powers results have shown the same thing since release of the new Explorer.

With the exception of MFT, I really like my Explorer - but MFT is a constant, nagging PITA. There is a fault of one kind or another it seems almost every day. Does it affect drivability? Most times, no. Have I told everyone who asks to stay away from the POS MFT if at all possible? Yep.

I presume you have updated to the latest software version.
What kind of daily issues are you having? I have only had one issue where the system rebooted on its own after I pressed the ignition start button to keep the car running longer than my preset 5 minutes via autostart. Other than that, it has been really good.

X

 

[182RG]

5 Fords. With the Ex, this goes beyond MFT.

MFT, Radiator Fans, A-Pillar, Rain Noise, Exhaust Smell, Transmission Bump, Leaking PTUs, Turbo hoses blowing off, SRS faults, Power Steering, Terrain Management Faults, Fit and Finish issues, Paint, Fuel System problems...and the list is longer.

Some of these things continue into the 2014 models, which is surprising. Quality, apparently, isn't "Job 1" anymore.

 

[usnavy1987]

2014 exploror

I have a 2014 xlt with no problems at all. I had a 2012 limited that I didn't like. Nav was at least 5 years out of date when I got it. Windshield noise, roof rain noise, mft sucked, didn't understand me. I traded it for a town and country and liked it, but I like my 2014 better. Everything works great. Nav and voice commands are good, no windshield or roof noise. Rides and drives great. I'm very satisfied with it.

 

[blwnsmoke]

This magazine is such a joke.. first the majority of the "unreliable" vehicles received only that rating because of MFT. CR has had it out to get Ford since the release.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...eliability?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

"Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Honda Motor Co. saw the reliability of many of their vehicles suffer because of unresponsive infotainment systems and faulty voice recognition commands, said Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports, during a presentation at an Automotive Press Association event"

Second, CR also reported that these tests results were based on the previous version of MFT, not the current one which is the version Ford should have released from Day 1. This new version is far superior and just plain works for most people.

A cars reliability, regardless of manufacturer shouldn't be considered unreliable because of an infotainment system. That is far different then mechanical breakdowns leaving you stranded on the side of the road, fires, and vehicles just plain being lemons and falling apart at 50,000 miles.

I consider MFT being annoying and/or frustrating however it doesn't make the vehicle unreliable. If they are going to hate on Ford and now other manufacturers once they added their versions of an infotainment system, they should get the vehicles without it and rate them. It's unfair when the vehicle has the option to not get an info system and they rate the whole vehicle which includes all of the trim levels the same.

CR said that more then 15 percent of people complained of problems with MFT. If it is only 15% (which really shows how big or small of a problem it is). Based on pass threads, I would have thought it was much higher then 15%, how much of that percentage is people with a learning curve or frankly, not understanding MFT (age groups?).

Ford's record sales month after month show CR is a bunch of crap and that majority of people don't take the magazine seriously.

I'll never take CR's recommendations on vehicles, but bad news sells and there we have it.

 

[plumbago]

5 Fords. With the Ex, this goes beyond MFT.

MFT, Radiator Fans, A-Pillar, Rain Noise, Exhaust Smell, Transmission Bump, Leaking PTUs, Turbo hoses blowing off, SRS faults, Power Steering, Terrain Management Faults, Fit and Finish issues, Paint, Fuel System problems...and the list is longer.

Some of these things continue into the 2014 models, which is surprising. Quality, apparently, isn't "Job 1" anymore.

Exactly ! Exactly ! Exactly ! How do I know? Cause mines a POS. I'm glad to see at least someone put it on a list it deserves to be on.....best regards Plum

 

[rmp301]

I have a 2014 xlt with no problems at all. I had a 2012 limited that I didn't like. Nav was at least 5 years out of date when I got it. Windshield noise, roof rain noise, mft sucked, didn't understand me. I traded it for a town and country and liked it, but I like my 2014 better. Everything works great. Nav and voice commands are good, no windshield or roof noise. Rides and drives great. I'm very satisfied with it.

Why would you even think of another to replace it! Glad to hear your not having issues, but I wouldn't walk that path a second time!

 

[Sgt1411]

CR said that more then 15 percent of people complained of problems with MFT. If it is only 15% (which really shows how big or small of a problem it is). Based on pass threads, I would have thought it was much higher then 15%, how much of that percentage is people with a learning curve or frankly, not understanding MFT (age groups?).


This is bang on, the 60+year old "tester" is beyond his cognitive ability to properly understand or evaluate MFT.

CR is in no way unbiased anymore, take it with a grain of salt.

Yes it sucked at first, I agree 100%, but after v3.6.2 things are pretty solid.

I do feel some of the issues like "A" pillar rattle, gas/exhaust smell, radiator fans, fit & finish should have been dealt with quicker and not carrier across model years like they did. If an issue was discovered in the 2011MY it shouldnt been replicated in 12,13,14.

 

[CajunFordEx]

This magazine is such a joke.. first the majority of the "unreliable" vehicles received only that rating because of MFT. CR has had it out to get Ford since the release.


Ford's record sales month after month show CR is a bunch of crap and that majority of people don't take the magazine seriously.

I'll never take CR's recommendations on vehicles, but bad news sells and there we have it.

I am totally with blwnsmoke on this. CR is a joke just like those satirical news sites.

If someone purchases/leases a vehicle for it's infotainment system, they have mental problems.

 

[13Sport]

Why would you even think of another to replace it! Glad to hear your not having issues, but I wouldn't walk that path a second time!

I went the lemon law route w/ my 2011.. I turned around and purchased a 2013 sport as soon as they were available. I have had only one nagging issue (stiff indicator lever), other than that it has been great (including MFT which is what the original lemon law pertained to)

 

[vfral1]

This magazine is such a joke.. first the majority of the "unreliable" vehicles received only that rating because of MFT. CR has had it out to get Ford since the release.

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...eliability?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE

"Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Honda Motor Co. saw the reliability of many of their vehicles suffer because of unresponsive infotainment systems and faulty voice recognition commands, said Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports, during a presentation at an Automotive Press Association event"

Second, CR also reported that these tests results were based on the previous version of MFT, not the current one which is the version Ford should have released from Day 1. This new version is far superior and just plain works for most people.

A cars reliability, regardless of manufacturer shouldn't be considered unreliable because of an infotainment system. That is far different then mechanical breakdowns leaving you stranded on the side of the road, fires, and vehicles just plain being lemons and falling apart at 50,000 miles.

I consider MFT being annoying and/or frustrating however it doesn't make the vehicle unreliable. If they are going to hate on Ford and now other manufacturers once they added their versions of an infotainment system, they should get the vehicles without it and rate them. It's unfair when the vehicle has the option to not get an info system and they rate the whole vehicle which includes all of the trim levels the same.

CR said that more then 15 percent of people complained of problems with MFT. If it is only 15% (which really shows how big or small of a problem it is). Based on pass threads, I would have thought it was much higher then 15%, how much of that percentage is people with a learning curve or frankly, not understanding MFT (age groups?).

Ford's record sales month after month show CR is a bunch of crap and that majority of people don't take the magazine seriously.

I'll never take CR's recommendations on vehicles, but bad news sells and there we have it.

Agree with you as well, I cancelled my subscription to CR two years ago because of their biased opinions.

 

[dco43054]

Agree with you as well, I cancelled my subscription to CR two years ago because of their biased opinions.

I don;t think they have biased opinions - but I do think they focus on the wrong topics.

The Explorer comments focused on MFT, which they couldn't even get the correct title for.

Everything else on my Explorer has worked within acceptable limits.

 

[powderhound77]

I wish I would have known....

I wish I would have known about the Ford quality/reliability issues before buying. So far on my 2011 I have:

Replaced a seal in transmission
Replaced a gasket in transmission (different part than first issue)
Replaced a Blind Spot system sensor (after having it in three times for the issue)
Constantly re-attached my front wind valence

Now I am having paint bubbling off of my hood from corrosion of the hood under the factory paint job.

I think Ford has lost my business forever since a vehicle less than two yeas old has had so many problems and they will not stand behind the product.

Very disappointing.:thumbdwn:

And that's not even considering the MFT issues inherent in the vehicles...

 

[peterk9]

I wish I would have known about the Ford quality/reliability issues before buying. So far on my 2011 I have:

Replaced a seal in transmission
Replaced a gasket in transmission (different part than first issue)
Replaced a Blind Spot system sensor (after having it in three times for the issue)
Constantly re-attached my front wind valence

Now I am having paint bubbling off of my hood from corrosion of the hood under the factory paint job.

I think Ford has lost my business forever since a vehicle less than two yeas old has had so many problems and they will not stand behind the product.

Very disappointing.:thumbdwn:

And that's not even considering the MFT issues inherent in the vehicles...

As the owner of a 2011 model, it would have been difficult for you to have known about its track record since it was the first year of the redesigned Explorer. The only things replaced on mine were a front right sensor and battery. I also had the random wipe TSB done. Other than that, it has been an excellent vehicle.

Peter

 

[kenv]

Exactly ! Exactly ! Exactly ! How do I know? Cause mines a POS. I'm glad to see at least someone put it on a list it deserves to be on.....best regards Plum

Hi Plum. Fancy meeting you here. As far as CR, as stated you have to take a lot they say with a grain of salt. I have bought numerous items because of their ratings & a lot of them have turned out to be junk. As far as cars go, how come when you spend 100k on a car & its rife with problems (911 Carrera comes to mind), its eccentric, & if a domestic car has some of those same problems, its written up as junk from the magazines? I also own a Mustang automatic V6 convertible that I have had for over a year now & it has yet to give me any problems. Every vehicle model from every manufacturer is going to have some problems. The key is how the company deals with them in making things right for the buyer. I`m hoping that my yet to be built Explorer treats me as good as the Mustang.

 

[Mikepaul]

CR has been spot on for me in the past. In the mid 90's when we needed a new family car we were considering the Chevrolet Caprice. CR said don't touch it with a 10 foot pole, the Crown Vic was recommended back then.

Bought a 1995 Crown Vic, drove it for 9 years and replaced one ignition wire.

Bought a 2004 Crown Vic, drove it for 8 years and replaced a heater resistor.

Totaled it off on a deer last Nov. so now it's a 2013 Explorer Limited. Other than the exhaust smell issue we're happy with it.

 

[skripo]

Ever since CR panned the iPhone and started giving Apple a hard time, I knew they had become a hit *****, making a mockery of their impartiality.

That being said, I do have some comments on my 2013 Limited.

I know I will get ripped for being picky. The truth of the matter is I am not picky, I have certain consumer level expectations that have been created by my experience with other products.

The truth is that Ford has remained complacent while the world stepped up and they simply don't care because the Ex continues to fly off the lot.

 

[skripo]

I just wrote an exhaustive post and all my criticisms were deleted. Anyone else have this issue? Are we being proactively censored on this board?