Consumer Reports: Ford’s reliability has fallen, Chrysler on the rise

In Consumer Reports’ 2011 Annual Auto Survey, Ford, which has been the model of America reliability for many years, is slowly starting to fall. Consumer Reports attributes three of the Dearborn automakers newest models for the fall in reliability.

“The new Ford Explorer, Fiesta, and Focus all had below-average reliability in their first year,” Consumer Reports said. “As a result, Ford’s overall reliability rank among 28 major car makes slipped from the 10th to the 20th spot this year—the biggest drop for any major nameplate in Consumer Reports’ 2011 Annual Auto Survey.”

The publication went onto say that the automaker’s drop can also be attributed to problems with technology including the MyFord Touch infotainment system.

While Ford has fallen, Chrysler is on the rise, says Consumer Reports. Jeep moved up a strong seven points to 13. That makes it the most reliable domestic brand, and all its models for which Consumer Reports has sufficient data scored average in predicted reliability. Dodge moved up three spots in ranking.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Consumer Reports