DEARBORN, MI - Ford has edged past industry leader Toyota in initial quality in the U.S. for the first time ever, according to the latest Ford quality study.

For the first time in the 28-year history of the Global Quality Research System (GQRS) study, customer satisfaction with Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles has reached its highest level in North America - and now equals Toyota.

In addition, Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles had the lowest number of "things gone wrong" among all automakers - putting Ford in a statistical tie with Toyota for initial quality and ahead of Honda.

"Ford's total focus on quality and customer satisfaction throughout the design and manufacturing process is paying off, and customers are noticing," said Mark Fields, Ford's president, The Americas.

"This is a major milestone, but we are not satisfied," he added.  "For Ford, our plan is continuous improvement year after year."

The GQRS study is conducted for Ford on a quarterly basis by Bloomfield Hills, Mich.-based RDA Group.  New vehicle owners are asked to report defects or issues as well as rate satisfaction with vehicle quality on a scale of 1 to 10 across an array of vehicle systems and features.