Toyota blitzes JD Power dependability study

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By Tim Beissmann | February 16th, 2012

Toyota Motor Corporation brands filled three of the top five positions in the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 US Vehicle Dependability Study.

Lexus was the clear leader in the survey, which ranks brands according to the number of problems experienced by owners over the past 12 months, expressed as problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). Lexus scored 86 PP100, ahead of second-placed Porsche on 98. The study is based on the responses of more than 31,000 original owners of 2009 model year vehicles after three years of ownership.

Toyota brand tied for third with Cadillac on 104, with youth-focused subdivision Scion (111) finishing just ahead of Mercedes-Benz (112) in fifth. Scion and Mini enjoyed the greatest year-on-year improvements – jumping 55 and 60 PP100 respectively.

Ford, Hyundai and Honda were other notable brands to rank ahead of the 132 PP100 industry average.

Chrysler Group was at the other end of the spectrum to Toyota. Its four core brands – Chrysler (192), Dodge (183), Jeep (179) and Ram (174) – filled the bottom four positions on the dependability rankings table. Jaguar, Volkswagen and Mazda were also in the bottom 10.

The 2012 PP100 average represents a 13 per cent improvement compared with 2011.

J.D. Power and Associates vice president of global automotive David Sargent says this year’s results are particularly impressive given the difficulties endured by industry when these vehicles were built in 2009.

“Despite facing immense challenges in 2009, automakers placed a keen focus on delivering outstanding levels of quality, which they understood would be essential to their long-term success,” Sargent said.

“Three years later, owners of these models are enjoying unprecedented levels of vehicle dependability and manufacturers are experiencing market recovery.”

Top ranked vehicles by segment:

Sub-compact car – Toyota Yaris
Compact car – Toyota Prius
Compact sports car – Scion tC
Midsize car – Ford Fusion
Large car – Buick Lucerne
Entry premium car – Lexus ES350/Lincoln MKZ
Midsize premium car – Hyundai Genesis

Compact MPV – Scion xB (Toyota Rukus)
Compact crossover/SUV – Chevrolet Equinox
Midsize crossover /SUV – Ford Explorer/Nissan Murano
Midsize premium crossover/SUV – Lexus RX350
Midsize pick-up – Nissan Frontier
Minivan – Toyota Sienna
Large Pick-up – Toyota Tundra

The Lexus LS was the highest-ranked vehicle of all nameplates in the survey, averaging just 72 PP100.

It was one of eight winners for Toyota Motor Corp. across the 14 segments. Ford Motor Company was the next best with three individual winners.

The study also made special mention of the Ford Mustang, GMC Yukon and the Porsche 911, which performed particularly well but were not awarded due to insufficient data from their low-volume segments.

Kampfer

Only if Lexus can have a more up-to-date range. Current line-up are very dated/boring. Please update the IS soon and bring in the IS350 replacement model right from the start, not at the end of model life like IS300/IS350.

P.S. unfortunately I don’t like the design language Lexus is currently moving into…
Kampfer

Interesting to see KIA is WAY behind Hyundai…

Anonymous

KIA is targeting people who like more aggressive cars (read: european), Hyundai less so than KIA, even though they are the same car(s) underneath… Even more proof to anyone that any survey is more about the people who buy these cars, than anything to do with the manufacturer or brand itself.

IE: What a jaguar owner would call a ‘RATTLING SOUND’, a Lexus owner calls the exact same thing an ‘ENGINE NOTE’… ^_^

Kampfer

Some interesting points as well:

- Infiniti is very low in the list, it way behind Nissan
- Other than Toyota and Honda, all other Japanese brands are below average. Personally I’d expect most Japanese brands will be higher than Audi and Volvo.
- Ford is surprisingly high in the list to me.

Phil

Apart from Inifnit which has dropped, the results of your mentioned brands are pretty much the same as they have been for the last few years.

- Ford in the top half
- Audi/Volvo near the middle (though seem to be slowly slipping slightly lower each year)
- All the non Toyota/Honda Japanese brands in the bottom half (Mitsubishi and Suzuki are often right at the bottom).

Phil

Seems Jaguar has gone back to their glory days of the 70s/80s! Only just last year, they were ranked 3rd with 112 score.

Hmmm and looking at the “top ranked vehicles by segment”, I can’t see a single car I’d be interested in though at least the 911 gets “a mention”.
Jinnzhang

It is quite clear that JD Power survey should not be taken seriously.

mosmanite

Why, because you didn’t like the results?
Gazza

WHY because VW is down the bottom where it belongs?
Guest

It is quite clear that your opinion should not be taken seriously.

coolbeans

Interesting to see Mazda, the darling of the Australian motoring press and public, so low on the list. Japanese reliability is not all its cracked up to be.

Jinnzhang

I don’t understand this. Mazda always tops the other US survey (one called Consumer Report – as big as JD), also UK and German surveys.

Shak

I think you guys might have mixed up Cadillac and Chevrolet.

Anonymous

Hi Shak

You’re right. Sorry for the typo, and thanks for the tip.

Cheers
Tim Beissmann

Geoh

No surprises here, if you’ve ever seen a Lexus up close you’ll know that its a brand of high quality..
Snap

I’ve sat in the LS600H like the one in photo.. Beautiful car
UniversityOfGoogle

OMG HERESY!

How can Toyota be allowed so high up teh rankings, isnt they recall King?! moar recalls pls Toyota, gotta give the ppl wot they want!

Guest

Learning to spell I see. How cute!

mosmanite

I love the fact that they class the Explorer as a ‘Midsize’ Crossover.

Snap

Well the Escape is a Small SUV..

Guest2

The average Toyota clocks up 20,000km a year. A lot more as fleet cars. The average Porsche clocks up probably 3,000km a year, most are used as Sunday cars or show cars.

Phil

These “average” Porsches must never come up on the used car market then. You go look for 10 year old Boxsters/911s and see how many have just 30,000kms on them. Most have 100,000-150,000kms on them.

mosmanite

A Boxter is a below average Porche :p
GTRXUI

No mention of Volkswagen Phil.??

Guest2

RAM-Jeep-Dodge-Chrysler rates better than FIAT. If FIAT is on the list lolx
Tarquin, Hair Artiste

Confirms that Toyota is the reliability king. Even a complex car like the Prius does well…. A lesson to others.
Laurie

Biggest surprise is VW

Anthony

why? cause it scored as high as it did.
The only surprise to me is that it’s result was not worse.
bring out the vw fanboys. you all seem unusually quiet.

Anonymous

The haters and whingers are unusually quiet too. Must be a little unsettling for them to see that VW are keeping good company with Infiniti, Mazda, KIA and Suzuki. Oopsies!

Sumpguard

So then why did you post?

Sumpguard

Kia were tenth last month and well above that dark line as were Infiniti and Mazda so I’ll take it with a grain of salt.

Meanwhile VW are still were they have been the past 5 years. Oopsies!
Anonymous

I dunno, Sumpguard. I dunno. It’s a JD Survey. I mean, it’s GOTTA be true, right?
Sumpguard

I dunno either but it is consistant with other surveys with putting VW down the bottom all the time so who knows RIGHT?
Anonymous

Search me. All I know is that those rubbish Mazda, Infiniti and Kia people better lift their game so that they’re not placed next to the equally rubbish vee dubs. Such an appalling state of affairs.

Tarquin, Hair Artiste

No surprise to me.. VW and most German Brands only have middling reliability scores about the same as a Holden or Ford, that is, not bad but clearly behind Toyota. It is true that a Camry will trounce a C Class Benz in reliability and running costs… still I’d much drive a C Class over a Camry, I know the Camry will be good for me, but its a bit like taking medicine.
GTRXUI

Have to agree with your comments Laurie.Was surprised VW finished that high up the list.KABOOM.

Gazza

Good to see VW down the bottom it should be last, nothing more than unreliable german taxis!

GTRXUI

Have to say well done to Toyota again.Producing reliable cars for a long time now,not he bells and whistles of other models.Just very reliable,go Toyota.

somebody who knows nothing

Truth is that the Typical Toyota buyer is a cardigan wearing socks & sandles type who genarally doesn’t have the spine to complain…. hence their impressive survey results despite being the greatest recalled brand in the last five years!!!! (lol)
On top of that, where are the fan boys bleating about the fact that the story classes Lexus at what it is, a trumped up Toyota??? :-p
save it for the track

Given the obviously low expectations of Toyota owners as relates performance and features, one can expect that they don’t really expect much, and as such wouldn’t know if something was wrong, or ‘slightly off’ anway. Accellerator on the right, brake pedal on the left (and for those rare Toyota drivers with a manual [it's in the middle]). If Kia for example is so bad, why do they continue to offer a long warranty in all markets? Mazda? Must be real bad to have the number one selling car in Aus. We must remember that this particular survey is in the US. The land of floaty suspension settings, wallowy handling, live rear axles, NASCAR and grits. What do other types of similar surveys have to say? I’m sure if one were to pick the right states to do such a survey in, Chevy, Jeep etc. would rate quite well.

Rick

I agree . After a trip to the states and driving the current crop of dodge vehicles( Durango , charger srt8 and a challenger srt8) I have become a huge fan and now frequent mopar forums and its funny how Chrysler and dodge have almost 2 problems for every car sold yet you very rarely hear anyone complain about problems with these cars .