Estimated read time: 6-7 minutes
By now, I've driven every vehicle in Ford's current lineup. Heck, I even owned — all too briefly — a Bronco (and absolutely loved it). Across the board, there's a lot to like about the Blue Oval, especially with the adventure-first vision championed by CEO Jim Farley.
But if I'm being honest, Ford hasn't always been the first brand that comes to mind when people talk about quality and reliability. Those conversations have traditionally been dominated by brands from Japan and, to a lesser extent, Europe.
Then came the pandemic. It disrupted virtually every automaker, Ford included, forcing companies to rethink everything from supply chains to manufacturing processes. Ford responded with a renewed commitment to what it calls its "Quality Comes First" initiative, investing heavily in engineering, manufacturing and software development.
Six years later, those efforts are paying off. Ford has been named the number one mainstream brand in the 2026 J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study — a milestone that would have been hard to imagine just a few years ago.
Here's why that matters, what Ford changed behind the scenes and why you'll want to put Ford on your shopping list.
More than an award — it's an indicator of things to come
Every automaker likes to advertise awards, but the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study carries more weight than most. Now in its 40th year, the study measures problems reported by owners during the first 90 days of ownership. This year's results are based on responses from more than 78,000 owners and lessees of new 2026 model-year vehicles, along with real-world repair data collected from dealers. The way it works is by problems per 100 vehicles — known as PP100.
In other words, the lower the score, the better the quality.
This year, Ford posted a score of 152 PP100, edging out Nissan and Buick to become the highest-ranked mainstream brand.
"This is a proud day for everyone at Ford, and the result of years of intensive work across our company," said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO. "Many doubted that an American company could compete with the world's best on quality, let alone reach the top. But we put our heads down and worked together every day to deliver for our customers. Today, Ford is the gold standard for new vehicle quality."
That's a pretty bold statement, but it's not specific to just one model, either.
The Ford F-150, Mustang and Super Duty each ranked highest in their respective segments for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, the Escape, Explorer, Expedition and Maverick all finished in the top three of their classes. In total, seven of Ford's 10 eligible vehicles landed in the top three of their segments — the highest percentage of any automaker.
Quality doesn't happen by accident
What impressed me most about Ford winning this award wasn't the award itself — it was how they got there. And I'll give credit where credit is due: Ford moved away from the quick fixes to their quality problems and fundamentally changed the way they develop and build their vehicles.
For starters, in 2023, the company brought its engineering, manufacturing, supply chain and quality control teams under one organization. This allowed these departments to collaborate more effectively — from the earliest stages of a vehicle's development to final production.
"We rallied the whole company around a clear vision: Quality Comes First," said Ford's Chief Operating Officer, Kumar Galhotra. "That means hard-wiring rigorous processes deep into the way we work, building a culture of relentless problem-solving and recognizing our teams when they prevent issues from reaching customers."
Ford also hired 300 veteran engineers whose sole responsibility is to identify potential problems before a vehicle ever reaches production. Weekly design reviews are now mandatory, which gives these engineers plenty of opportunities to catch issues early.
Impressively, Ford says that this proactive approach, combined with improvements to supply chain coordination and quality assurance software, has reduced launch issues by 30% year over year.
You can feel the difference
One thing that's become apparent as I've worked through Ford's lineup over the years is how consistent everything feels.
Whether it's the versatile and affordable Maverick, the adventurous and fun-loving Bronco, the family-hauling Expedition or the many, many excellent variants of the F-150, there's a sense of "put-togetherness" that didn't always exist across the brand.
Panels fit together well. Interiors feel solid. Engines are strong. Seats are comfortable. Technology operates easily and reliably. Which, when all is said and done, is strong evidence for their "Quality Comes First" mantra introduced several years ago.
Everything I've driven from Ford in the past few years has worked as it should and has never given me reason to worry. That's definitely worth something.
Should this change your opinion of Ford?
I don't think anyone should ever buy a vehicle just because it won an award. You need to drive it, sit in it and thoroughly "try it on" before you put your hard-earned money down.
And, at the same time, if you've counted Ford out because of quality concerns from years past, it may be time to give their lineup another look.
This award didn't just happen, nor was it bought, nor was it luck. It happened because some things have changed at Ford — and it shows.
My favorite quote from Ford's announcement came from its COO, Kumar Galhotra, when he said, "Are we proud? You bet. Satisfied? Not even close. This is a milestone, not a finish line. We will celebrate this moment today, but tomorrow we are back at it: chasing perfection, driving continuous improvement and getting better every single day."
The folks at the Blue Oval have always built vehicles people wanted. Now, increasingly, it's building vehicles that owners can feel confident about for the long haul — and that's worth celebrating.
About the author: Jason Bell is a lifelong car enthusiast who loves sharing his passions as a teacher, podcaster and automotive journalist. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. You can contact him at jasonbellcars@gmail.com or on his YouTube channel.
