Ford's rise to the top of the heap in J.D. Powers' Initial Quality Survey is the result of a number of innovative programs at the plant and at dealerships that are designed to create defect-free vehicles and improve the company's reputation.

Ford won five model classifications, more than any other automaker in the survey, and beat out vaunted automaker Toyota in a number of categories. The Mercury Milan ranked first in the midsize family car group, besting even the Honda Accord. Lincoln MKZ won the entry premium car category, and Ford's popular Mustang was the highest rated mid-size sports car for the second straight year.

Ford officials say it's hard to pinpoint just when the company began to turn the corner on quality. But they say that it's likely that the design, production and launch of the Ford Five Hundred and the Mercury Montego, two full-size sedans that recently have been transformed into the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable, were a major breakthrough for the company.

"When we launched the Five Hundred and the Montego, there was a great deal more attention to detail and making sure that we had high-quality products right out of the gate," said Mike Hardie, global quality data and process manager at Ford. "That's what started our turnaround, I think. Our designers were getting better and in the first year in service, those vehicles were recommended by Consumer Reports," a rare event in that magazine's history.

David Zalubowski, Post-Gazette The Ford Mustang topped the Midsize Sporty Car segment in the most recent J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study. Click photo for larger image.

Building on that experience gave Ford a head start on getting its next important set of models off to a problem-free start. Those included the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ, all of which have been praised for their quality.

Ford isn't afraid to delay introductions of products if it thinks it can do better. That's what happened with the Lincoln MKX and the Ford Edge.

"It wasn't any one item on the cars themselves that resulted in holding things up," said Alan Hall, communications manager, Ford SUV & crossovers, Lincoln and Mercury brands. "It was more a matter of very close investigation of the cars coming off the line, and going back and tweaking things more."

The company's employees, both managers and union members, are working as a team to make sure the quality of products stays high, Mr. Hardie said.

"There is a program called the Quality Leadership Initiative, which is a joint program of the UAW and the management teams at Ford. In it, we teach UAW people about quality and to make sure they understand that a high-quality product is the right thing," Mr. Hardie added.

The JD Powers results highlighted one poignant example of how the workers had affected the quality of products at the factory in Wixom, Mich., which makes the Lincoln Town Car. That factory, which J.D. Power and Associates ranked as the best auto factory in the country, was closed a couple of weeks ago.

"It's a real testament to the workers that despite the closing of the plant, the workers continued to deliver the best quality products," Mr. Hardie said.

Another plant program that has made a difference is called the Current Model Quality Operating System, in which workers at a plant read every single warranty claim the day it comes in.

"Anytime they see a warranty claim based on a manufacturing defect, they will circle back into the plant and figure out where could we stop that defect from happening again," Mr. Hardie said.

Mr. Hardie readily acknowledged that the job wasn't done, however. "Right now we have got some teams working on improvements in fuel economy to try to shore up our fuel economy results. We've got a couple of vehicles now that are really getting good fuel economy; but boy, oh boy, we can do better in that arena," he said.

But it's not enough to make a good vehicle. When cars hit the dealerships, they must be able to pass muster, too, Mr. Hardie said.

"If when the car is delivered the seats are dirty and there's scratches on the car and dents and dings, it gives an initial bad impression that we just can't afford to have," he said. "And if customers are sitting in traffic for a while, and they glance around at some of the bits and pieces in the interior, if things look off key or there are some gaps in the interior, that hurts us a lot ... too," Mr. Hardie said.

Ford and its fellow domestic automakers have learned that it takes attention to detail to persuade customers wary of the Big Three's cars after the poor products of the '70s, '80s and '90s.