Toyota, Lexus top J.D. Power dependability survey

June 30, 2004

BY JOHN PORRETTO

DETROIT -- Toyota Motor Corp. remains the automaker with the most dependable vehicles, led by its Lexus luxury brand, though Detroit's Big Three manufacturers all showed improvement in the past year, according to the latest J.D. Power and Associates vehicle dependability study, released Tuesday.

For the 10th consecutive year, Lexus was the highest-ranking brand in the closely watched study. It was followed by General Motors' Buick nameplate, Nissan's Infiniti brand, Ford's Lincoln label and GM's revamped Cadillac lineup.

GM was the only one of the domestic automakers to score better than the industry average of 269 problems per 100 vehicles, but Ford and DaimlerChrysler made significant headway. Last year's industry average was 273 problems per 100 vehicles.

''The domestics are putting their money where their mouths are in terms of consistent long-term quality improvements,'' said Joe Ivers, J.D. Power's executive director of quality/customer satisfaction. ''However, while the domestics continue to outpace the Europeans, the Japanese continue to dominate.''

The study is based on responses from more than 48,000 original owners of 2001 model-year cars and trucks. It measures problems such as wind noise, excessive brake wear, vibrations and the replacement of parts not called for under normal maintenance.

Among manufacturers, Toyota (207) was followed by Honda (210), Porsche (240), GM (262) and BMW (264). Those were the only manufacturers to rank above the industry average.

Toyota, whose U.S. sales were up 11.6 percent through May, had seven models score highest in their respective segments -- the Corolla compact car, Avalon premium midsize car, MR2 Spyder sports car and 4Runner midsize sport-utility vehicle for the Toyota label, and the ES 330 entry luxury car, LS 430 premium luxury car and RX 300 entry luxury SUV for Lexus.

Among individual brands, the most improved from last year were Kia, Suzuki and Audi, though all three continue to perform below the industry average. Kia had 77 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, Suzuki 38 and Audi 23.

GM was tops among the Big Three with 262 problems per 100 vehicles, two fewer than last year. Ford (275) improved by 12 problems from a year ago, and DaimlerChrysler (302) was better by nine problems.

Segment-leading models for the Big Three included the Chrysler Concorde among full-size cars, Ford Ranger among compact pickups and the redesigned GMC Sierra HD among heavy-duty, full-size pickups.

Hyundai, which showed the most improvement among 37 brands in J.D. Power's initial quality study released in April, was near the bottom in the dependability study, registering 375 problems per 100 vehicles.

The bottom five in terms of problems per 100 vehicles were Volkswagen (386), Isuzu (393), Daewoo (411), Kia (432) and Land Rover (472).

AP

HOW BRANDS RANKED

How specific brands ranked in J.D. Power and Associates' annual vehicle dependability survey released Tuesday. The study is based on responses from more than 48,000 original owners of 2001 model-year cars and light trucks. The figures represent the number of problems per 100 vehicles:

Brand/Problems per 100 vehicles

Lexus 162
Buick 187
Infiniti 189
Lincoln 194
Cadillac 196
Honda 209
Acura 212
Toyota 216
Mercury 224
Porsche 240
Chevrolet 262
GMC 262
BMW 264
Saab 265
Saturn 267

Ford 276
Nissan 280
Chrysler 285
Mazda 285
Subaru 288
Plymouth 289
Audi 295
Pontiac 297
Dodge 298
Jaguar 310
Jeep 314
Oldsmobile 314
Mercedes-Benz 327
Mitsubishi 327
Volvo 346
Suzuki 365
Hyundai 375
Volkswagen 386
Isuzu 393
Daewoo 411
Kia 432
Land Rover 472
Industry avg. 269

AP