Ford Just Did the Unthinkable, and the Mustang Led the Charge
Nobody saw this coming. The Mustang crushed Toyota 86 in J.D. Power's 2026 Initial Quality Study — and Ford pulled off the comeback of the decade.
Nobody saw this coming. The Ford Mustang has been crowned the best sporty car in the J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study 2026. In its segment, it left no room for the Toyota 86, which had to settle for second.
But this is only the beginning of the story. For Ford, the Mustang win is part of a thunderous surge across the entire new-vehicle quality rankings. The brand rocketed from 14th place in 2025 to third in 2026, becoming No. 1 among mass-market brands. Only Porsche and Genesis — premium players in another weight class — finished higher. Ford’s score plunged from 193 to 152 problems per 100 vehicles — a 41-point drop. That’s the largest year-over-year improvement in the entire mass market.
And the Mustang isn’t the only bombshell here. The Ford F-150 and Ford Super Duty also topped their segments. All three models take the trophies for the second year in a row. The F-150 is best among large light-duty pickups, the Super Duty among heavy-duty full-sized trucks.
The J.D. Power study is based on responses from 78,514 buyers and lessees of new 2026 model-year vehicles after 90 days of ownership. Visits to authorized dealers are also factored in. Fewer PP100 means higher quality. Ford has just proven one thing: an American mass-market brand can play in the same league as the best in the world.