Quality report spurns Chrysler and Ford

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DETROIT, June 20 (UPI) -- U.S. auto industry research company J.D. Power dropped the ranking for Chrysler and Ford in its annual quality report released Wednesday.

Chrysler Group LLC fell nine rankings to 25, The Detroit News reported. Ford Motor Co. dropped behind Chrysler, falling by four slots to 27, the newspaper said.

"Technology is becoming increasingly important as a quality differentiator," said J.D. Power's global automotive division vice president, Dave Sargent.

With customers expecting newer, computerized gadgets in a car, brands with reliable engines, seats, doors and drive trains can find themselves struggling to reduce complaints because an onboard global positioning system, unheard of a decade ago, is giving customers fits.

Overall, automakers improved their performances with the average number of problems per 100 vehicles down 5 percent from 2011.

With an average 102 complaints per 100 vehicles, it was the industry's best performance since 2009.

The Top 5 included Lexus at No. 1 for the second consecutive year. Jaguar jumped from No. 20 to a tie with Porsche for the No. 2 spot. Cadillac was ranked fourth. Honda was ranked fifth.

At the bottom of the list, Fiat and Smart tied with an average of 151 complaints per 100 vehicles, the News reported.