cars made in Mexico

[JavierH19]

Depends. Almost all of the time build quality issues come from a new factory, new tooling, or a big employee turnover like we had in 2020. The old skilled people knew their tricks on the line and the new people didn't so just changing the people alone will change the quality to a degree. Tesla had it's Chinese production engineers sent to the US to fix the poor quality control issues in the new factories here. Once things get ironed out it's good.

The stigma of Mexican made stuff being crap comes from Mexican companies having a lack of quality control which is true. I will admit that Mexican made stuff from a Mexican company is typically garbage, Such garbage Mexican made pants unstitched on me while i was walking down the streets as a kid and girls were looking at me but i hid it and they didn't notice. But if it's a big outside company with quality control standards they will get it out of the Mexican factories one way or another or shut it down. Lack of quality means recalls and warranty claims and those displease the books. Toyota was threatening to shut down the Alabama plant because they were struggling to iron out their operations which made the Japan plant actually be more profitable once everything was calculated by their accountants.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Are vehicles assembled in Mexico of higher quality than vehicles of the same price assembled in the US?

I have had Japanese and US made Hondas, the US made had loose bolts and poor fit and finish.

I've had German and US made version of their vehicles and the US made have poor fit and finish and an aura of cheapness.

I don't know if something similar is with Mexico and US comparison.

I'm sure we all have stories. BMW South Africa has won numerous factory QA awards. I found coins in the floor vents of my German assembled BMW.

 

[wemay]

No and no.

 

[CT Rob]

My 05 Ram 2500 was made in Mexico and was best truck ive ever had.Zero issues with build quality

 

[fdcg27]

Quality and durability are the integrator's decision and have nothing to do with where the parts are made nor where they are assembled.
Good quality can come from Mexico or Vietnam while poor quality can come from Germany or the US.
We've had cars from Japan, Germany and the US over the years and I've seen no difference in quality that can be ascribed to country of assembly.
One of the best vehicles we've owned was an end of the line '97 Aerostar assembled in St Louis, just as an example.
Dirt cheap new and it held up well for thirteen years and 175K until totaled by one of my sons. The AC even worked well throughout its life. The only thing I ever had to do with it beyond oil changes and a tranny pan drop, filter replacement and fill was to replace the starter around 150K, cheap and easy on the 3.0 in the van.

 

[Hermann]

Been a 8/10 happy with the Mexican built Maverick Hybrid. The body panels and interior fit well, the paint has very little orange peel and cleans up great. Nothing has broke or failed, just the recalls, which were handled well. While the airwaves and press are full of stories about Maverick's birthing issues, many are click bait so they get paid. Everyone has recalls and TSB's. The F-150 has far more issues than the Maverick.

 

[TheLawnRanger]

If you have a nova built in Mexico, it's a no go.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

The 2011 Ranger was built at the Twin Cities plant in St. Paul, Minnesota, so US–built. The plant closed at the end of that year. It was the only plant by then building the old-style US Ranger.

Ford had announced its intention to close Twin Cities a few years before, but the Ranger was selling too well to stop production then. The 2011 model year (and a few 2012s at the very end for commercial buyers) was especially large than had been the norm in the previous few years, to satisfy dealer demand after Ford confirmed those would be the last ones. The quality issues with your Ranger probably stem from the workers knowing the end was coming soon, so they didn't care about building them well.

Loved the truck in general. If it wasn't for the engine issue it's a keeper it had insane ASR traction control programming that allowed you to drive into a corner at any speed and it would drive you around it without pulling to much engine or over applying brakes. A great thing to have in a pickup. My last one 2wd short box 5 speed had some fancy seats, and some 4x4 dress up stuff and big tires, 4 wheel disk brakes and raised ride. I don't know why it came that way or how, it being a 2wd std cab. Forget if it was xl or xlt.

As far as quality of assembly, most ford trucks I have owned over the years had severe quality problems, Though my 1998 F-150 4.2L Patriot edition 2wd w/ Mazda M5ODR2 MT. This example only seemed to have and exhaust leak in the Y pipe slip joint (over torqued ex. clamp) for major build problems; the front o2 sensor didn't like that though. I should have been more patient with that truck - but I found out later, these "aero" style light duty trucks were unsafe, J. Nasser era, mid-steel crumple boxes according to IIHS. I traded out of it. A little OCD on that one.

I wish these "affordable trucks" were still available new, they would be around 25K though now.

- Ken

 

[ARCOgraphite]

If you have a nova built in Mexico, it's a no go.

Ah ha! A translator on the forum. What was my old Fuego made in France?
I could tell you, but I would be sent to a corner for a month - or more

 

[bdcardinal]

I knew someone with a Mexican-built(GM de Mexico Silao) Tahoe, except for glass it was hard to tell it apart from one built in Arlington, TX or Janesville, WI. I’ve been in Mexican-built Hondas(CR-V/Fit) and Fords(Fusion/Fiesta), it’s hard to distinguish from the ones built in Ohio, Michigan or Japan. However, I did notice an Ohio-built Honda smells different than a Japanese-built(Suzuka and the former Saitaima plant, now the Yorii plant) model if you were to drive one off the truck when they arrive at the dealership. Some say a Japanese Lexus smells different than one made in Canada or Kentucky when they are delivered to the dealer.

My mom's Hermosillo built 2014 Fusion has a much higher build quality than my USA built 2014 Mustang.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

I would say my problems were not that the car was built in Mexico, but the fact it is a Nissan.

 

[totegoat]

My built in Mexico pickup has been just as reliable as my made in the USA Toyota and Jeep.

 

[Redhawk454]

Our John Deere 6100D is made in Mexico and it has over 3k hours and no issues

A lot of Mexicans are made in Mexico

 

[dfarr67]

Put it this way- I wouldn't go out of my way for a mexican vehicle nor would I intentionally seek one. There's only one reason the factories are there- for cost.

 

[gregk24]

No concerns with ours due to location of manufacturing. Fit and finish is excellent.

 

[mbres2000]

Many AC Delco parts for older cars and trucks are Hecho en Mexico. They seem to be just as good as the originals that were made in the US. Certainly superior to most Chinese parts. Also, cast iron Chevy 350 Chevy engine blocks were made down there from the mid-1980s until they were phased out in the early 2000s. When I worked part-time for a performance engine builder, I found them to be superior to earlier US-made castings. 10-15 year old used blocks would sometimes clean up at .005"-.010" overbore, and core shift was almost non-existent. Much of this, no doubt, was due to improved materials and casting processes.

 

[odie]

'18 HYUNDAI Accent made in Mexico . 41,000+ miles and counting .

 

[vpr5703]

Given that Hyundai's Theta-ii engines were built in Alabama, and most are lucky to make it to 150k, I wouldn't bother worrying about country of origin when it comes to car manufacturing. My last car was a 2011 Fusion that was built in Mexico, and it made it to 324k miles with hardly anything replaced other than a CV axle and basic maintenance.

 

[odie]

Had Ford FESTIVAs that were made in Mexico . Seen those go for 100,000+ miles with ease .

 

[CanAmAndMore]

My 2016 Ram, and daughter's 2022 Honda, are both made in Mexico, and excellent build quality.