Ford, GM Models Top Customer Satisfaction Survey

Domestic automakers are gaining ground in a customer satisfaction survey.

For the first time ever, Ford's Lincoln-Mercury and General Motors' Buick have taken top spots in the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

However, Chrysler continues to underperform, with two of its three divisions at the bottom.

American Customer Satisfaction Index Results

Overall, the survey finds a 2.4 percent drop in automobile satisfaction, with most domestic and foreign automakers showing declines. Fourteen of the 19 largest auto nameplates showed some deterioration over the past year.

But U.S. brands had the smallest drop, while Japanese and Korean brands fell the most.

University of Michigan professor Claes Fornell, the founder of the satisfaction index, says the near future looks good for Ford and General Motors. He says satisfied customers tend to do more repeat business and don't require greater price incentives to return.