Ford Press Release - Ford Motor Company Pleased With 2004 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study

DEARBORN, Mich., June 29 – Ford Motor Company is pleased with its results in the 2004 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study. Our corporate 12-point improvement is three times the rate of improvement of the industry and leads our domestic competitors. Among the Top Three in Segment, Ford had 10 vehicles, including three top awards for: Lincoln Town Car, Ford Ranger and Ford F-150 LD.

Ford nameplates also led the Big Three in rates of improvement: Ford improved by 19 pp100, Lincoln by 18 and Mercury by 16. Several models made exceptional strides, including Windstar, which improved by 81 pp100, Mazda MVP (65), Ranger (52), Excursion (51) and Ford Focus (45).

Because VDS measures problems per 100 among 2001 models and we acquired Land Rover in June 2000, Ford's impact on Land Rover has yet to be realized.

These results, along with other consumer-driven key indicators, show that we are making solid progress on our promise to deliver high initial quality, long-term reliability and overall customer satisfaction.