In late 2005 I started conducting my own reliability research. I'm reporting absolute stats like "times in the shop" that will make the differences between cars much clearer. Relative ratings obscure too much--how large is the difference between "better than average" and "worse than average"? I’ll also be updating results four times a year, so there will be information on new models sooner.

The other day a panel member who owns an Expedition wrote to say he'd like to start participating in the research. When I explained that more Expedition owners need to sign up to participate first, he sent me an email with a link to this forum.

If enough Expedition owners are interested and willing to participate, I'll start collecting data as soon as this month, and will have the first results as August (though November is more likely).

To encourage participation, panel members will receive full access to the results for free.

Details: Vehicle reliability research

Comments, questions, and suggestions welcome.