By Brent Snavely, Detroit Free Press

Oct. 28--The trusted magazine Consumer Reports heaped praise Tuesday on Ford Motor Co., which continues to gain momentum in the face of the global recession.

"Ford is the only domestic automaker that's producing vehicles with world-class reliability," Rik Paul, Consumer Reports' automotive editor, said. He was in Detroit to announce the magazine's 2009 Annual Car Reliability Survey.

Collectively, Detroit's vehicles ranked closely to European-made models. But Asian automakers were the top performers, with 94% of their models ranked average or better.

While 90% of Ford's models were ranked as above average or better, just 44% of GM's and 4% of those made by Chrysler were similarly ranked.

The magazine recommended 24 Ford and 8 GM models. Chrysler, which had no recommended vehicles last year, has just one, the Dodge Ram 1500 pickup, on the recommended list this year.

"They really need to do a major overhaul," Jake Fisher, senior automotive engineer for Consumer Reports, said of Chrysler.

Despite a strong showing by Ford Motor Co. in Consumer Reports' annual reliability survey, Asian automakers continue to dominate the top rankings.

Of 48 models with top ratings, 36 are made by Asian manufacturers, Rik Paul, Consumer Reports' automotive editor, said during a luncheon hosted Tuesday by the Automotive Press Association in Detroit to announce the 2009 Annual Car Reliability Survey. The magazine is frequently used as a reference for consumers while shopping for a new vehicle.

Of the top-rated models, 18 are made by Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp.

What's more, eight of the Top 10 brands are made by Asian automakers. Toyota's Scion was ranked as the No. 1 most reliable brand for the second year in a row followed by Honda, Toyota, Nissan's Infiniti and Honda's Acura for the top five. The only domestic brand to crack that list was Ford Motor Co.'s Mercury, at No. 10.

But there has been some shifting among the Asian brands.

"Hyundai and Kia ... are challenging Honda and Toyota," Paul said. "They now rank among the most reliable manufacturers."

With Asian automakers performing so well again in this year's survey, Paul also defended the magazine from charges that its results are biased toward Asian manufacturers.

He noted that the magazine's reliability findings were based on 1.4 million survey responses from readers as well as the magazine's own performance testing.

"We are asking for objective data here" on the surveys, Paul said. "We are asking for specific problems that people had with their cars."

Ford solidifies quality reputation

Ford, meanwhile, had many reasons to celebrate this year's survey.

The company's Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan midsize sedans ranked higher than the Honda Accord or Toyota Camry, which are top-selling cars in the United States.

And, of the 51 Ford, Mercury and Lincoln cars and trucks surveyed, 90% were ranked average or better.

"A lot of their mainstream products are right up there with the top of the Japanese, and that's very significant," said Jake Fisher, senior automotive engineer for Consumer Reports.

Bennie Fowler, group vice president of global quality for Ford, said the Consumer Reports survey is validating.

"When we first started talking abut this, nobody would believe us," Fowler said. "As time has gone on, I think the story becomes more believable."

GM's mixed results

Consumer Reports said its survey revealed inconsistent results for General Motors. Of 48 models evaluated, 20 were found to have average reliability while just one, the Chevrolet Malibu V6, was above average.

The magazine now recommends eight of GM's models, including the Buick Enclave all-wheel drive crossover.

"I was pleased to see the positive reliability feedback on our newer models such as Chevy Malibu, Silverado and Traverse, Buick Enclave and GMC Sierra," Jamie Hresko, GM's vice president of global quality, said in a statement.

Chrysler's struggles

Consumer Reports' Fisher praised Chrysler for its redesigned Dodge Ram 1500 pickup, but said the Auburn Hills automaker faces numerous problems with its other cars and trucks.

"The Dodge Ram really impressed us," Fisher said. "That is really good news for them."

However, the Dodge Ram pickup was the only model Consumer Reports is recommending to consumers and Fisher said it would likely take Chrysler a long time to improve in its survey, which looks at data over a three-year period.

"They really need to start looking at big changes," Fisher said.

Chrysler said it has observed a 30% improvement in warranty claims over the past 18 months, and said its quality improvements should eventually show up in the Consumer Reports survey.

"We understand that there is still much work to do," Doug Betts, Chrysler's senior vice president of quality, said in a statement.

Contact BRENT SNAVELY: 313-222-6512 or bsnavely@freepress.com

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