Reasons Why Ford Dealers Ranked Below Industry Average in Customer Service

Taking a Hit

Over the past few years, automotive dealers of all types have faced some serious adversity, much of it stemming from the pandemic and resulting labor and supply shortages, coupled with big production cuts. As a result, service has taken a hit as well, though, in J.D. Power's 2024 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) Study, Ford dealers - in particular - ranked lower than most other brands. 

Photos: Ford

Near the Bottom

Among all mass market brands, Ford dealers wound up ranking 13th out of 18 with a score of 835 out of 1,000 possible points in this year's CSI Study. That means The Blue Oval finished behind the likes of Chevy, Toyota, and Nissan, while only beating out Dodge, Chrysler, Hyundai, Volkswagen, and Ram.

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Overall Market

Making matters worse, Ford dealers also ranked behind the mass market industry average, which had a score of 848 this time around. What's particularly concerning here is the fact that overall - with premium brands included - the automotive service market actually improved its score by five points versus 2023. 

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Methodology

The J.D. Power CSI Study is designed to measure customer satisfaction at both franchised dealers and third-party service facilities. It specifically looks at customers with one- to three-year-old models, however, and is based on five factors - the service advisor, service quality, the vehicle pickup process, the facility a vehicle is serviced, and satisfaction revolving around how the appointment was scheduled. 

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Long Waits

This year's study polled a total of 64,781 owners and lessees of 2021-2023 model year vehicles and came away with several important findings. For example, the amount of time customers are waiting for an appointment - as well as waiting for service or repairs to be completed - only continues to grow, and when it comes to EVs, those problems are apparently even worse. 

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Multiple Factors

According to J.D. Power, much of this increase in wait times stems from labor and parts shortages. Even though the supply chain has improved considerably compared to recent years, many parts remain difficult to find - which means that a lot of customers have found themselves sitting around waiting.

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Still a Problem

“It’s encouraging to see an improvement in service satisfaction but, unfortunately, the capacity and wait time issues have gotten progressively worse since the pandemic and show no immediate signs of easing up,” said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power. “Excluding Tesla owners, the service experience for BEV owners is underwhelming. As sales of BEVs continue to grow and the industry moves out of the early adopter phase, the typical owner will not be as willing to tolerate a less-than-stellar service and ownership experience. On the manufacturer side, a higher rate of BEV recalls is also contributing to an inconsistent experience. This is an area that automakers and dealers need to address now to help make the transition to electrification as pain-free as possible for owners in the future.”

Photos: Ford

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