“The J.D. Power & Associates Initial Quality Study released on Wednesday shows that automakers continue to make gains in vehicle quality, but the black art of telematics design poses a growing liability, especially for Ford,” Cheryl Jensen reports for The New York Times. “Problems with its MyFord and MyLincoln Touch infotainment systems continued to bedevil the company, with other automakers hurt to a lesser degree.”
“Ford dropped from fifth place in 2010 to 23rd in 2011, largely on complaints from owners who found the telematics to be unintuitive and complex. This year, Ford fell to 27th. Lincoln, which was ranked eighth in 2010 and 17th in 2011, fell to 18th,” Jensen reports. “‘It’s not that the problem is getting worse, it’s becoming more prevalent because they are introducing more vehicles with MyFord Touch,’ David Sargent, vice president of global automotive research at J.D. Power, said in an interview. ‘So the ranking could be more impacted this year because more vehicles have it.'”
“Vehicle owners were asked whether they experienced any of 228 possible problems, which included mechanical defects and malfunctions, as well as design issues like the ease of use of controls. Other categories included exterior design, engine/transmission and audio/entertainment/navigation design. The study’s authors graded automakers on the number of problems per 100 vehicles,” Jensen reports. “Over all, Lexus was the top-rated brand for the second consecutive year, with 73 problems per 100 vehicles. The surprise this year was Jaguar, which rocketed from 20th position in 2011 into a tie for 2nd place with Porsche, as owners reported 75 problems per 100 vehicles. Rounding out the top five were Cadillac with 80 problems and Honda with 83. BMW, meanwhile, was back in the top 10 for the first time since 2005. Mr. Sargent added that BMW’s good fortunes were attributable to improvements across the vehicle range.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As if we needed it, this article is yet more proof that The New York Times should be printing on toilet paper, but even that would be too good; The New York Times isn’t worth a crap.
Nowhere in the entire piece – not once – was the name “Microsoft” mentioned even though (and this would seem to be more than a bit of pertinent information) Microsoft developed “MyFord Touch” and “MyLincoln Touch.” Unbelievable. “The paper of record.” What a load of horseshit that is.
NYT, seriously, how much did Microsoft pay you and/or how incompetent can you possibly be?
From Wikipedia: “MyFord Touch (branded as MyLincoln Touch on Ford’s Lincoln brand products) is an in-car communications and entertainment system developed by the Ford Motor Company and Microsoft. The technology comes factory installed with Ford product offerings and is based on the Microsoft Auto 4.0 software platform. It is regarded as the next-generation of Ford Sync.”
Microsoft’s Midas touch strikes again. And the absence of Ford on the list of Apple’s Siri Eye Free vehicle maker partners means that Ford’s decision-making process is still hopelessly FUBAR.
Memo to Ford: If you still haven’t figured it out, Microsoft sucks. Always have and always will. Wake TF up already. Microsoft’s crap is costing you vehicle sales. That is all.
Of course, we predicted this ongoing fiasco rather concisely in a headline long ago: When crap collides: Ford and Microsoft team up for in-vehicle operating system – December 29, 2006
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “WGary” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Nine auto makers partner with Apple for ‘Eyes Free’ Siri integration – June 12, 2012
Stung by plummeting quality ratings, Ford to upgrade glitch-prone Microsoft-designed ‘MyFord Touch’ systems – November 7, 2011
Microsoft’s confusing, buggy Sync sinks Ford’s J.D. Power quality ratings – June 23, 2011
When crap collides: Ford and Microsoft team up for in-vehicle operating system – December 29, 2006
MDN, in your zeal to discredit the NYT, you also overlook pertinent facts and data. For example, nowhere do you mention that MS sells embedded software not only to Ford, but also to Fiat, Kia, and Nissan — and much of it is out of view to the consumer. Funny how you only hate MS when you can see their awkward interfaces. No consumer interface, no problem, is that it?
https://www.microsoft.com/windowsembedded/en-us/evaluate/windows-embedded-automotive-7.aspx
Interesting also that MDN gives a free pass to the other dozens, if not hundreds, of automotive electronics suppliers that sell equally crappy wares to Ford and other brands. MyTouch is no better but no worse than iDrive, Comand, and other overcomplicated & overpriced in-dash electronics systems.
Now to play the counter role to MDN’s incendiary tone:
What shitty reporting, MDN! Obviously with the omission of listing all companies that implement software from a company that you don’t personally like, MDN doesn’t know what it’s talking about. Incomplete reporting must indicate incompetence or worse, a political agenda. MDN lashes out at anything it doesn’t like, but it proudly acts like a partisan hack on all issues Apple-related or not. Anyone hoping for MDN taking the high road against the perceived shortcomings of other media outlets are disappointed: MDN merely prefers to roll in the mud of the ditch on the other side of the road. So much for honest and balanced coverage. Like most other internet sites, you are merely an ad hit-whore lighting rod for self-destructive political infighting…. and based on on the posts here, you have convinced some simpletons that your narrow political agenda is a good guide for living. Man, if you buy an automobile exclusively based on the dashboard or you boycott the “bad” sub-suppliers of a relatively minor accessories, then you’d never buy a new car. Get a motorcycle if you want a truly clutter-free driving experience. They are all compatible with ANY portable electronics, Apple-branded and otherwise.
/off sarcastic soap box/
Went shopping for a new car about a year ago with proceeds form the sale of some Apple stock and really wanted to give Ford a look for a number of reasons: 1- they are not bailout motors 2 they are kind of the home team 3- grew up in a town where my uncle owned the local Ford dealership, etc.
I bought a VW. Why?
1- Ford/Microsoft STYNC. Unless you have seen this abortion you cannot understand how awful it is.
2- The exterior styling looks like it was done by a 10 year old with a ruler and the inability to draw a curve- kinda like Crapillac on acid or a slightly less ugly Chrysler product.
3- The interior reeks of Fisher-Price plastic and styling stolen from mid-1980’s Pontiac or 1970’s Datsun (Nissan).
4- The Stealership Network. The Ford stealerships in my area make highwaymen look like buddhist monks and rival automated phone software for cluelessness.
Ford has definitely upped it’s game in engineering, but the stylist should be fired, STYNC ripped out and the stealership network replaced. I will not buy a car with Microsoft Auto in any incarnation if I have any choice in the matter.
Same here. In 2009 I looked at Fords. Wanted to buy cause I’ve had several Fords in the past (1997 Lincoln Continental was a gem and I miss it) but SYNC was a big turn off and I let the sales guy know it. But you’re right about the design of the car. I’m an industrial designer myself and I’m stunned that the designs they put out are so weak with poor fit and finish to boot. They have enough money to hire the best but somewhere in the decision making process things get honked up.
Ford, like MDN says, WAKE UP! You are losing sales because of your affiliation with Microsoft products.
My 2010 Lincoln MkS is equipped with Microsoft Sync. It is the only disappointment in the car. The voice recognition is terrible interpreting the voice command Phone as Sirius 4 about 70% of the time. Other voice commands are similarity incorrect. I am anxiously awaiting an aftermarket version of car play.