DEARBORN, MI – The quality of Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury vehicles is about the same as that of Toyota and Nissan, according to the first-quarter 2007-model-year “Global Quality Research System” report by the RDA Group, the Detroit Free Press reports. Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury brand vehicles had 1,456 problems per 1,000 vehicles, compared with Nissan, which had 1,457, and Toyota, which had 1,453. The recently released report surveyed more than 30,000 new owners of 2007-model-year vehicles after three months of ownership. It did not track the newest 2008 vehicles, such as the Ford Edge or the new Ford Super Duty. Ford had to temporarily stop selling that pickup to fix a problem that caused flames to shoot out the exhaust system of some vehicles. Ford also delayed delivery of the Edge late last year to ensure top-level quality. But new vehicles like the 2007 Ford Expedition and Fusion helped buoy the results. According to the Free Press, Ford Motor Co. reduced its corporate problems by 8 percent, better than the overall industry improvement of 2 percent.