Why doesn't Ford just build good cars?

randy kister wrote:

retired ford worker,have a 2003 f-250 that i purchased new. 29,000 miles had to have rotors turned!!! fords custumer response? sorry, theres nothing we can do! so this is the kind of service you can come to expect from ford in the future! no wonder people turn to foreign auto makers.

Randy, do you think that the parts like that, the ones that dont hold to your expectations, could be a direct result of cost cutting by the big three in order to compete?

Just another example of a flawed business model, cutting corners and sacrificing quality for more profit, and thats on one of the most profitable models they offer, but I'm sure you are aware of that.

For everyone else, who likes to blame the worker for the companies problems, this is a perfect example of how these companies are being run.

Pension costs, healthcare premiums and the lack of tariffs on imports lead companies down the easy path for increased profits.

ghostwrtiter863

Buy American, When American works, America stays strong.

But foreign products, foreigners become strong.

Ford has the resources and ideas to build better cars....as many have pointed out....they make great cars for Europe and Australia. The American consumers have made the shift to foreign autos due to resale value, quality and gas consumption. Ford, GM and Chrysler have yet to wake up and smell the coffee. Their designs are boring and instead of quality....GM and Chrysler are trying to lure in the American market with lots of BLING-BLING...but not much more.
The Unions....they are another story. They are killing the American Auto Industry. Pension plans, over paid workers, medical benefits that most corporate VP's envy....and most of the workers have high school educations! I believe some of the blame goes to designers....but much more to the workers who do a lousy job assembling the cars. There is no communication between the line and management when a problem is identified....they just keep slapping them together and no one really cares. Well, now it's time to pay......Sure Ford is closing US factories and building new ones in Mexico and Canada....they can get a BETTER workforce, pay them less and get foreign govn't tax breaks.
We have to grow up AMERICA....IF you want Ford, GM and Chrysler to compete in a world market/economy.....
1. We have to support them by purchasing their products.
2. The Unions HAVE TO change the way they do business and bring about cooperation. They have to get realistic that a line worker at Ford, with a high school education does not deserve $65-70,000 a year with pension and great medical. There are college grads, making less for much more complex jobs.
3. Workers have to get the mind set that building quality is THEIR JOB! They have to begin to care about the products/work they turn out.
4. Ford/GM/Chrysler management have to work like hell to design better cars! They have a huge bias to overcome......and I do agree that US companies are building very good quality cars.....I am seeing more and more Toyota's and BMW's being recalled....but you never see it published in the news.....
Good luck to all those involved....I hope everyone can begin to see the errors and begin to take steps to correct before it's too late!

The Man wrote:

I hope the Union Drops Dead because it is a bunch of over paid BUMS. The Japs make better cars and always will until the union dies.

Next time you have a thought, let it go. Where I come from, if you use the word "Japs" it is pretty hard to be taken seriously.

Frank wrote:

Ford has the resources and ideas to build better cars....as many have pointed out....they make great cars for Europe and Australia. The American consumers have made the shift to foreign autos due to resale value, quality and gas consumption. Ford, GM and Chrysler have yet to wake up and smell the coffee. Their designs are boring and instead of quality....GM and Chrysler are trying to lure in the American market with lots of BLING-BLING...but not much more.
The Unions....they are another story. They are killing the American Auto Industry. Pension plans, over paid workers, medical benefits that most corporate VP's envy....and most of the workers have high school educations! I believe some of the blame goes to designers....but much more to the workers who do a lousy job assembling the cars. There is no communication between the line and management when a problem is identified....they just keep slapping them together and no one really cares. Well, now it's time to pay......Sure Ford is closing US factories and building new ones in Mexico and Canada....they can get a BETTER workforce, pay them less and get foreign govn't tax breaks.
We have to grow up AMERICA....IF you want Ford, GM and Chrysler to compete in a world market/economy.....
1. We have to support them by purchasing their products.
2. The Unions HAVE TO change the way they do business and bring about cooperation. They have to get realistic that a line worker at Ford, with a high school education does not deserve $65-70,000 a year with pension and great medical. There are college grads, making less for much more complex jobs.
3. Workers have to get the mind set that building quality is THEIR JOB! They have to begin to care about the products/work they turn out.
4. Ford/GM/Chrysler management have to work like hell to design better cars! They have a huge bias to overcome......and I do agree that US companies are building very good quality cars.....I am seeing more and more Toyota's and BMW's being recalled....but you never see it published in the news.....
Good luck to all those involved....I hope everyone can begin to see the errors and begin to take steps to correct before it's too late!

You are so wrong when you say "most of the blame goes to the workers who do a lousy job putting the vehicles together" Obviously you have never spent a minute in automotive factory. The line workers do care, when a problem is found the line is turned off by these people only to immediatly be turned back on by management. Also if you look at th recalls for vehicles, most all of them are faulty parts not faulty installation. You need to be a little more informed next time you post.

Falcon 68 AKA 100E Anglia wrote:

<quoted text>SAVE A JOB! BUY A FORD! That's a slogan I'd seen on an old billboard a while back....For every Japanese car sold here in the states, that's more and more money leaving the US...Imports have had devastating effects on our economy.

Apparently, you are not aware that Ford builds
many of it's cars in Mexico. Nearly all of the small to mid-size cars that are sold in the West are Mexican. Explain how buying one of these help save a job??

Phil Katt wrote:

<quoted text>
Apparently, you are not aware that Ford builds
many of it's cars in Mexico. Nearly all of the small to mid-size cars that are sold in the West are Mexican. Explain how buying one of these help save a job??

Obviously you aren't aware that I'm here in Dearborn...The Focus is built here in Wayne, Michigan, the 500 is built in Chicago, the Expedition is built in Wayne, the Mustang is built in Flat Rock, Michigan, and the F150s are built right here in my back yard...So....Go buy yourself a nice Mustang GT convertible, dump the clutch in first gear, and blow the jap tin boxes right out into the ocean....

Sounds like you have issues.

Amen! Nothing funnier than someone driving someone to work at Taco Bell in a Toyota b*tching there are no decent paying jobs!

uaw 864 houston texas wrote:

Tired,hungry,layed off from work,try eating your toyota!!!