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Over the last thirty years American car companies have seen their market share slowly eroded by import car manufacturers. The single factor contributing to this result was the lackluster quality of American vehicles. After thirty years you would think the American carmakers would have learned their lesson, and despite what the numerous car review outfits and 'experts' say today about improved quality in domestic automobiles, Japanese cars are still far superior in quality.

There is an abundance of quality rankings out there that will tell you that American cars have matched or surpassed the quality of Japanese cars. Many consumers accept these results without looking into the details of the study that came up with such a conclusion. The most famous is JD Powers Initial Quality Study. In 2007 Ford Motors earned top model segment awards and Ford wasted no time in touting this prestigious rank. But this study was based on the first 90 days ownership of a new vehicle. I don't care if the car is American or foreign, I expect it to run flawlessly in the first three months on the road. Data covering only 90 days of ownership is not going to provide any concrete reliability data on a particular make or model. An accurate gauge would be a study that tracks vehicle quality over five years; offhand the only outfit that provides such data is Consumer Reports. There are so many institutes out there issuing out rewards to automakers that probably every model that's on the road has earned an award for some reason, and many of these outfits issuing the awards are in bed with the automakers, which brings into question their objectivity.

Despite the notion that Americans have an insatiable appetite for cars and replace them every four or five years, many people out there keep their vehicles up to ten years. American cars may hold up well for one or two years, but they simply are not made to operate for years without investing a sizeable amount of money for repairs, whereas Japanese cars are renowned for running for years with only the basic maintenance needed. Go onto the internet and there is no problem finding numerous "Ford Sucks", "I Hate GM", or "Chrysler Blows" websites, each detailing horror stories of cars needing engine or transmission breakdowns at less than 100,000 or even 50,000 miles. The American automakers have enticed people back to buy their products with deep discounts and zero percent financing, when they instead should be focusing on improving their products. To compound their sales problem many imports such as Toyota and Honda build the vehicles they sell right here in the United States, creating jobs for Americans. Whereas in an effort to improve profits margins Ford had their Focus sedan built in Mexico the first few years on the market and currently builds the Ford Fusion in that country. As their sales continue to shrink it won't be a surprise to see the American automakers shift more and more of their production to countries like Mexico to lower their production costs.

People have been burned too many times by the American automakers promises that they're cars are dependable. But the simply reality is that they have not learned their lessons and continue to throw out gimmicks to entice consumers into their dealer showrooms. But after alienating a generation of buyers who have raised their kids to be wary of the domestic automobile, the American carmaker is now at risk of becoming extinct like the British auto industry.

Learn more about this author, Robert Stadnik.
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