Surprises Top J.D. Power Dependability Ratings
For the first time in a dozen years, another brand has tied Lexus for the top spot in the annual J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study, which ranks vehicles based on the number of problems their owners report in the first three years of ownership.
The surprise is even more noteworthy because the brand ranked dead even with Lexus for vehicle dependability is Buick. Both Buick and Lexus owners reported 145 problems per 100 vehicles, well below the industry average of 216 problems per 100 vehicles.
The Power study surveyed more than 50,000 owners of 2004 model cars to determine vehicle dependability and reliability after three years of ownership.
Yet another surprise: rounding out the top five most dependable vehicles were Cadillac, Mercury, and Honda. In other words, three of the top five were domestics and two were Japanese at a time when Japanese car sales are rising and domestic sales are retreating.
There were more surprises.
Olds — not even assembled anymore — scored tops in the minivan segment with the Silhouette, and tops in the multi-activity vehicle segment with the Bravada. The Buick Century, also no longer being made, was ranked the most dependable midsize sedan.
Neal Oddes, director of product research and analysis for Power said those happy with the dependability of their vehicles tend to buy the same brand again and recommend others do as well, so even though the vehicles are no longer produced, high scores could lead to future sales of GM brands.
The study also found the most improved vehicle in terms of dependability was the Hummer, though it still finished in 26th place among all brands with owners reporting 242 problems per 100 vehicles.
The final surprise was the overall rankings. Toyota finished sixth (178 problems) behind Honda and just ahead of BMW and Lincoln which tied at 182. And Olds, no longer made, had better dependability than Mercedes-Benz in 13th place (212 problems), Ford in 18th (221), Chevy in 20th (226), Nissan in 30th (274), and Land Rover last (398).
Keep these ratings in mind when buying used vehicles.
Oddes said the fact Buick, Mercury, and Honda scored so high in dependability is a good omen as well because it means dependable vehicles are sold at a variety of price levels and not just among the luxury nameplates.
"Consumers don't necessarily need to pay premium prices to obtain quality and dependability,” Oddes said. Cars rated the highest for dependability also tend to retain up to 15 percent more of their value after three years, which should benefit consumers at trade-in time.
2007 Nameplate Ranking — Problems per 100 Vehicles
Buick 145
Lexus 145
Cadillac 162
Mercury 168
Honda 169
Toyota 178
BMW 182
Lincoln 182
Subaru 192
Oldsmobile 196
Jaguar 197
Acura 207
Mercedes-Benz 212
Infiniti 215
Industry Average 216
Jeep 219
Pontiac 220
Scion 220
Ford 221
GMC 222
Chevrolet 226
Hyundai 228
Mitsubishi 228
Volvo 230
Audi 234
Dodge 236
HUMMER 242
MINI 247
Chrysler 249
Porsche 252
Nissan 274
Saturn 274
Kia 288
Mazda 289
Volkswagen 298
Saab 319
Isuzu 322
Suzuki 324
Land Rover 398
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Ok. Some of these are explicable, but Mercury tops Lincoln? Guess higher margins don't mean higher quality, even when produced by the same company.
Joey,
I think the Lincoln is a higher volume seller than Mercury (at least is seems that way) and Lincoln has more complex vehicles- Navigator.
I would like to know which vehicle hampered each make the most, though. Infiniti, for instance, normally does really good in these surveys, did one car in particular hurt it (QX56?) or has everything slipped.
It's nice to see some actual data rather than a meaningless list or categories like “below average.” Chrysler may be “below average” and Toyota is near the top; however knowing that *on average* I can expect a Chrysler car to have a problem every 14.5 months and a Toyota to have a problem every 20.2 months I'd rather have a 300 than an Avalon. The 300 probably costs less to fix anyway.
Maybe I shouldn't infer that from brand-wide averages, but in my opinion the majority of brands fall into the category of “good enough.”
No matter the brand of car, older it gets, more problems will be had. Though Ford must've done somtin right because i have a 1984 bronco 2 that looks like its never been taken care of when i got it. lasted for 301,000 miles before the transmission decided to call it quits, aside from burning oil the 2.8 V6 is still going strong, is gonna be rebuilt though. It makes sense for Land Rover to be at the bottom because of how complicated those things are, to many gadgets and doo-dads to go wrong.
I'm very surprised to see Jaguar so high on the list.... i thought that was one of those "problematic" brands?
Jonathan,
Believe it or not since Ford took it over dependability has improved at Jaguar. Unfortunately that hasn't happened to Land Rover yet.
"I'm very surprised to see Jaguar so high on the list.... i thought that was one of those "problematic" brands?"
Jaguar was problematic until the mid 90's when quality improved under Ford ownership.
buick has always been top two/three and it will be interesting if it keeps it up in the years to come as the century and park avenue no longer are part of the equation.
and yet, if ypu ask people which car is better, a buick or nissan (not even counting toyota or honda), most people will say nissan.
wow mazda is far down, wonder if it has to do with the rx-8 becuase it seems that the 6 and 3 are very dependable from everyone i talk to
JD Power or MSN needs to clarify what the data means. One responder talked about comparative months of ownership before a problem occurs,I believe Chrysler vs. Avalon and then made the comment the Chrysler would probably be cheaper to fix which goes to the heart of the quality reports, they don't say what's most likely to be a problem and how costly/how many visits to fix. Then there is the makeup of the owners who report. Buick owners tend to be much older as a group, they would tend to complain less or not even recognize some problems because senses have become dulled. Another responder talked about the possibility of a particular model dragging down the Mazda brand because the most popular models seem to have good quality. Because JD power lacks specificity and consideration of the owner's age the manufacturer can be seduced to just meeting JD Power criteria and the consumer loses.
I have to agree (and disagree) with John on this one. What are the problems that the cars are having? I owned a car that spent 2 days at the dealership becuase a stitch popped on the leather seat and I was affraid it would spread. This was not a major problem, but it shows that some people are just a little bit more picky. I am sure that a seasoned luxury brand owner is going to be more picky than a student driving their first economy car. Which could hurt a good brand on this list since it simply lists things as "problems".
Where I agree and disagree with John is about the old people with dulled senses, lol. I think some of that dulling comes from the cars themselves. If you drive a tomb like an LS Lexus or a big buick- you may not even ever hear or feel some things that may point to a problem like you would in say a sports car. In fact, I've witnessed lots of ES's and LS's driving around almost on flats and I am sure the owners are oblivious because they can't discern the difference in ride quality. (before I get attacked, i've driven them both and they are both great cars)
I also think that full line automakers should be compared seperate from smaller marques.
Well I for one am going to raise a glass to Buick. "Good work boys,,, now get back to work!"
I think the real test of the dependability is problem around 5-7 years when the OEM's warranty expires.
i'd like to echo a few of points:
1. Jaguar ahead of Acura and Infiniti?!?! are you KIDDING me? and Jeep is such a POS they keep dropping dud models after 1 or 2 model years and hundreds of thousands of recalls. They have fewer problems than Scions?!
2. i've not met many people who have any problems with their cars before their 5th or 6th year. of course, if you wait for a survey of 5-year-old cars, that model year would almost be over...
3. this survey sounds like it's a one point in time questionnaire of 3-year-old cars. memory of what problems occurred and bias against those brands with more newly introduced models that specific year are just a couple of problems i see with this survey.
4. what kinds of problems count? Mazda has averaged almost 3 problems per vehicle. if they are all major, that means my Mazda6 is potentially looking at 3 catastrophes in a few weeks ... hahaha j/k. i know that's not how you use statistics
4. i'm basically trying to say that J.D. Power is not nonprofit and certainly NOT impartial.
Wait.. So this is for 2007 vehicles right? Then how is this a measure of the first three years of ownership? Basic arithmetic may sometimes fail me, but my spidey sense suggests that somethings amiss. Or was this survery done in 2007 on 2004 vehicles?
Dan,
This survey was done in 2007 on 2004 vehicles.
So, when Toyota, Lexus and Honda are on top, the surveys are perfect, but if any other car,
American or European have good ratings the surveys are wrong...
It will be better for all drivers if cars are reliable and we have less accidents.
By the way, I wonder how the problems of 07 Camrys are reflected in the survey.
I think this is a pretty accurate survey. The fact that Jaguar has done better than two Japanese stalwarts should come as no surprise, they are a lower volume marque and have been improving their vehicles substantially, while Infiniti and Acura have been expanding rapidly into new segments and with higher volumes. Infiniti has made one good move this year by deciding to build the problematic(relatively- for an infiniti) QX56 in Japan along with the rest of their lineup.
DL should look up all the recalls that the TC has had this year- not exactly something to brag about either.
I can't wait to see the reactions from the next 4 year survey that includes stats that include Toyota's problematic new Avalon, Camry, and GS series Lexus'.
ok, so i've never owned anything half the price of a Jag and maybe i'm just jealous ... but reputation has some basis ...
Look at all the postings about the Wrangler ... come one, so many 2007 models that die at a red light?? i'm a believer of a certain consumer publication that's nonprofit and more believable than JD Powers ... they haven't yet disappointed me or people i know with their reliability recommendations! i'll be so mad if i was dumb enough to think i'd be better off in a Jeep than my Mazda and bought one of those ... makes me shudder
marcusfielding@googlemail.com I used the survey before buying my latest car.marcusfielding@googlemail.com