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American Brands Shine In J.D. Power Dependability Survey Page 2

9 6,674 views Mar 18, 2010
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2010 Cadillac DTS

2010 Cadillac DTS

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GM had its conquests, too; most notably, the Cadillac DTS outperformed the Lexus LS 460 in its segment, along with a host of other large luxury sedans.

"It takes considerable time to positively change consumer perceptions of quality and dependability-sometimes a decade or more-so it is vital for manufacturers to continually improve quality and also to convince consumers of these gains," said David Sargent, J.D. Power's VP of global vehicle research, in a press release accompanying the results.

While Porsche was the top-performing luxury brand, Toyota was the top-performing full-line brand (not counting Mercury or Buick) for dependability, followed by Honda and Ford. Land Rover was solidly at the bottom of the list, followed by Suzuki, Volkswagen, and Jeep.


Chrysler remains the exception, with all three of its U.S. brands at the time—Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep—falling well below the industry average.

Vehicles overall have steadily become more reliable and dependable, but there's still a vast difference between vehicles of one brand versus another. For instance, Land Rover owners experienced more than twice the number of problems per 100 vehicles than Porsche or Lexus owners did, and Suzuki and Volkswagen owners saw nearly double the number of issues as Toyota owners.

Below is a complete list of the most dependable vehicles in each segment. Remember we're referring to 2007 models, so some model names might be discontinued or different today.

2010 Honda Fit Sport

2010 Honda Fit Sport

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Honda Fit
Toyota Prius
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Buick LaCrosse
Mercury Montego
BMW Z4
Lincoln MKZ
Audi A6
Cadillac DTS
Mercedes-Benz SL-Class
Honda CR-V
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Sequoia
Toyota Tundra
Honda Ridgeline
Ford Freestar
Lexus GX 470
Lincoln Mark LT

[J.D. Power and Associates]



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Comments (9)

  1. Seth Posted: 3/18/2010 1:09pm PDT

    No surprise the 2007 Ford Focus is not on the list — mine has been a total disappointment and the last Ford I will ever buy. Failed transmission, leaking hatch, dead blower motor, trim falling apart, seat issues, brake problems... and less than 30k miles.
     
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  2. Tom Posted: 3/18/2010 7:54pm PDT

    The Chrysler brand's score was 167 problems per 1000 vehicles, the industry average was 166... so that's "well below the industry average"? My buddy the Chrysler dealer tells the story of his customer with the new 300 a few years ago. The guy considered the express-down feature on the driver's power-window to be a defect - and despite repeated explanations to the contrary, the guy could never be convinced otherwise. Some people can't be happy; they've just got to complain - and I think most of them drive Chrysler products.
     
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  3. megalon Posted: 3/19/2010 5:38am PDT

    Even back in 2006, Toyota/Lexus fans new that these results were gonna be bad bc that is when the decline started ... imagine what the 2012/2013 results are going to be like for them ...
     
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  4. jim Posted: 3/19/2010 5:54am PDT

    Have to wonder what is going on with this info. Latest Consumer reports shows the Caddy DTS as below average reliability. I realize the JD survey covers the 2007 model, but does that mean JD results are going to drop the Caddy from the top next year? I bought my 2009 Honda Ridgeline from research of the vehicle. Consumer reports was instrumental in that buy-they were spot on too.
     
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  5. Brad Posted: 3/19/2010 9:47am PDT

    The reason I don't believe these (and I realize many won't like this) is what I call the Saturn Effect.
    During the early years of Saturns, the moto press universally said Saturns were okay, but nothing great. Certainly not leaders in the class. But surveys of the Saturn owners, universally said that they believed that Saturns were the best cars made.
    I think people who buy Buicks, Lincolns, Mercury's and Cadillacs in this day and age are so sick of the perceived unpatriotic reviews and reports that Japanese cars are the most reliable, simply report that their cars have no problems, whether they are problem-free or not.
    Three years ago I bought a new G35 and my wife bought a new SRX, during the same weekend. The SRX has had a number of problems, leaks and issues, but my wife believes it has been 100% reliable. The SRX is also far less refined and solid than the G35.
     
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  6. Bill Burke Posted: 3/19/2010 12:35pm PDT

    I was shocked not to see any Chrysler products on the list. With Chryslers vastly improved build quality of late, I thought they would crack the elite group. My daughter just returned her problematic leased Infinity and my Pacifica just keeps chugging along flawlessly. Who rates these cars anyway?
     
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  7. bengt avatar Bengt Halvorson Posted: 3/19/2010 12:35pm PDT

    @tom, I see the source of the confusion regarding Chrysler. Overall dependability (for all vehicles weighted equally is at 167 problems per 100 vehicles. But on a nameplate/brand basis (looking at its average across Chrysler's models only), Chrysler is at 166 PPM -- more troublesome versus the nameplate-average 155 PPM.
    @brad, I find it really hard to believe that American-car owners are selectively not reporting their problems to doctor the data in a positive direction. No, I've seen it with my own eyes, and heard it from owners far and wide -- American cars have become much, much better for reliability in recent years.
     
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  8. Paul Posted: 3/25/2010 12:33pm PDT

    Americian cars will always have a poor quality perception. JD Power & Consumer Reports are useless. I've owned Nissans, Subarus, Hondas, Mitsubishi, and Dodge/Jeeps. Except for my Honda (89 Accord), my Chrysler group vehicles ahev been more reliable and cheaper to maintain than any of the above. My current Jeep has 297,000 miles on the original engine and transmission. It still runs amazing. I'll keep my Americian car, thank you.
     
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  9. domestic crap Posted: 8/8/2010 1:09am PDT

    Unfortunately American cars are still not as refined as Jap or euro cars. I've owned and driven all three and still feel that Jap cars,for the most part,are the most reliable cars on earth.
     
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