Lincoln’s drop in initial quality being blamed on ‘innovative technology’

Posted: Jun 05, 2008
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Lincoln was probably the most talked about brand of 2007′s J.D. Power Associates Initial Quality Survey, but this year the it dropped 11 spots from number 3 to number 14.

According to Free Press and their discussion with Ford, it’s not the design or mechanical defects that hurt Lincoln – supposedly customers rated the brand a bit harshly for not knowing how to work the new innovative technology.’

Ford’s new Sync technology came standard on all Lincoln MKZ and MKX models during the study period. However, Lincoln’s Navigator didn’t and happened to be the only Lincoln vehicle to win a segment award in its J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Survey.

Lincoln says its customer’s average 62-years old and may have had some difficulty in adjusting to the Synch system, resulting in harsh ratings for the brand.

Hmm, interesting – we thought Sync was supposed to be simple and easy, or at least that’s what Ford makes it seem like.

Source: Free Press


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  • lonesome_coder

    Sorry to hear that Grandpa can't figure out that new-fangled gizmo in the dash. I haven't heard anything bad about Sync…it must be pretty decent if other automakers (Read: Hyundai / Kia) are springing for it.

    I'd like to see the results sans the entertainment system tech woes.

  • justmatt

    Or maybe Lincoln's traditional customers are not happy with the direction the brand has gone (small upscale Ford).

  • Bobmarley

    when i think of Lincoln and Buick customers i think of older baby boomers. And i think these brands will either die off as their customers do or they will need to find a way to recreate their brand to stay alive

  • justmatt

    I agree. Cadillac was in this same boat some years ago. It is infact why I was shocked back at the end of 2000 when GM decided to kill Oldsmobile. Oldsmobile's line up was finally good when that happened and even looked like it had a future. Buick on the other hand had 2 medium size cars and 2 full size cars. Buick hardly improved even after picking at Oldsmobile's rotting bones (Terrazza and Ranier).

  • lonesome_coder

    Sorry to hear that Grandpa can't figure out that new-fangled gizmo in the dash. I haven't heard anything bad about Sync…it must be pretty decent if other automakers (Read: Hyundai / Kia) are springing for it.

    I'd like to see the results sans the entertainment system tech woes.

  • justmatt

    Or maybe Lincoln's traditional customers are not happy with the direction the brand has gone (small upscale Ford).

  • Bobmarley

    when i think of Lincoln and Buick customers i think of older baby boomers. And i think these brands will either die off as their customers do or they will need to find a way to recreate their brand to stay alive

  • justmatt

    I agree. Cadillac was in this same boat some years ago. It is infact why I was shocked back at the end of 2000 when GM decided to kill Oldsmobile. Oldsmobile's line up was finally good when that happened and even looked like it had a future. Buick on the other hand had 2 medium size cars and 2 full size cars. Buick hardly improved even after picking at Oldsmobile's rotting bones (Terrazza and Ranier).