Ford rated tops in U.S. for reliability

YONKERS, N.Y., Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Consumer Reports said U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co. is closing in on Japanese companies in its annual vehicle reliability survey.

"Nearly all Fords are average or above," David Champion, senor director of Consumer Reports' Auto Test Division said. "They're extremely close to Toyota and Honda."

The annual report from the Yonkers, N.Y., product review magazine gave Detroit mixed ratings, the Detroit Free Press reported Friday.

"Ford is doing exceptionally well," Champion said. General Motors Corp. brands were rated inconsistently, while Chrysler's brands were rated "strikingly poor across-the-board," the newspaper said.

In the annual list, in spite of improvements at Ford, the top 10 were all Japanese brands with Toyota and Honda capturing all of the top five places.

Toyota's Scion was rated highest, followed by Honda's Acura, the report said.

Ford's vice president for global quality Bennie Fowler said he was pleased with the results.

"It's truly wonderful," Fowler said. "We want to be the best in the world, bar none."