J.D. Power reliability rankings defy public perception

By George Skentzos | March 19th, 2010

J.D. Power has released its annual 2010 Vehicle Dependability Study which measures the problems experienced by owners of vehicles built three years earlier – in this case 2007.

Some rather unlikely contenders topped the survey, while long-time reliable favourites didn’t fare so well in real-world comparisons.

At the top of the list is Porsche, which sells fewer cars in a year than industry leaders sell in a week, followed by Ford’s US domestic brands which all made an appearance amongst the top eight.

Jaguar fell from first place in 2009 to the number 23 spot, following a trend which saw only two of the European brands score better than the industry average of 155 problems per 100 vehicles.

The brands most commonly stereotyped as poorly built defied their public perceptions to rank within the study’s top 12 – they were Cadillac, Ford, Hyundai, Lincoln and Mercury.

“It takes considerable time to positively change consumer perceptions of quality and dependability — sometimes a decade or more,” said David Sargent, vice president of global research for J.D. Power. “So it is vital for manufacturers to continually improve quality and also to convince consumers of these gains.”

According to the survey, the Cadillac DTS was rated the industry’s most trouble-free vehicle, with just 76 reported problems per 100 vehicles.

At the lower end of the spectrum all but seven brands scored below 200, with a few manufacturing heavyweights among them.

Below is the full list for the 2010 Vehicle Dependability Study, a lower score means better quality.

Porsche 110
Lincoln 114
Buick 115
Lexus 115
Mercury 121
Toyota 128
Honda 132
Ford 141
Mercedes-Benz 142
Acura 143
Hyundai 148
Cadillac 150
Infiniti 150
Subaru 155
Industry Average 155
Saab 158
Saturn 164
BMW 165
GMC 165
Chrysler 166
Kia 167
Volvo 167
Hummer 169
Jaguar 175
Chevrolet 176
Nissan 180
Audi 182
Dodge 190
Pontiac 192
Mazda 195
Scion 201
Mitsubishi 202
MINI 203
Jeep 222
Volkswagen 225
Suzuki 253
Land Rover 255

Tom22

I’m always skeptical if this takes into account the severity of the faults and in addition the amount of complex parts on the car that can cause more problems..

My Holden admittedly has had alot of faults in its 8 years of life, but they are usually fairly inconsequential and cheap to fix.

On the other hands ive known owners of european cars, which don’t often brake, but when they do have problems (ala, electronic issues) they cripple the car entirely and cost a bucketload to fix

is this based on a 1:1 ratio?

ptwhite2003

@Tom22 says, “european cars, which don’t often brake”

That’s terrible! They should brake every time you put your foot on the brake pedal.

Jinsei

Look at Volkswagen’s score, the third worst of all. This is not the first time they performed far below average in the same quality survey.

I have been always saying their cars are not what they used to be in terms of reliability but a lot of German car fans gave me thumbs down. They still are excellent cars in handling, cornering and engine performance but not anymore when it comes to durability.

They have lots of issues with electrical parts in particular and still show no sign of improvement. Yet they are still so overpriced that sometimes with the same money you can almost get 2 equivalent Japanese or Korean models..

mmmmm

VW make very very good cars in germany, but now they are from south africa mexico, brazil and soon china the reliability isn’t what is was in the past.
Lukaas

I agree with you..
I’m anti-VW in Australia anyways.

VW overseas sell similar price as your Honda, Toyota, Mazda…. the quality is where I expect.

But here in Oz?

They sell for 125% to 150% of their equivalent vehicle comparison. Its because of the “german made” aura. Which is false.

Its no Audi, which I believe some here thinks they are. That would be a slap to Audi’s face.

Tom22

Here is the problem, perceived quality and quality are two very different issues. Alot of car buyers will quote Volkswagens panel gap difference or the feeling of the button as a very high quality car and for this reason, without any further evidence, deem them at the top of the quality list.

fourl6

i see build quality and reliability as completely different things just because my holden viva has done 75,000 without a single mechanical fault but its interior sounds like a rattle gun and its glove box has warped… i would call it a poorly built reliable car…

pirakavezok

I fully agree. I used to own Renault and Volvos. The all round build quality was superb-lasting exterior and good quality interior upholstery but alas, they are NOT reliable especially the electronics…well built unreliable cars

Lukaas

The difference between a “well maintained” gap between panels and a “wonky” one is a couple of million dollars in tooling.. and pretty much parts piece if its a supplier part, because the tooling would be much more expensive.

the difference between an aesthetic fix, like a “button” gloss or surface finish can get up to an extra 100% per piece. Massive jumps in prices for those “small” items.

but thats why you have your Audi, BMW, Mercs, Lexus etc costing much more than your typicals. VW’s panel/ resin part gaps are not on the same tier… again its those wankers thinking their VW is pretty much an Audi but cheaper who thinks this.

VWs sell cheap in USA, Europe etc, because they are mass produced, meaning they have the same tooling accuracy as the Mazdas, Toyotas, Hondas…. not Audis or BMWs.

Perceived quality is pretty much aesthetics, Hyundai can easily put chrome on all their button knobs inside and it looks more expensive, when its really not.

VW do make interesting cars with their GT and R Golfs.

Robin Graves

Surprising results. Ford must really have a finger out, guess that comes down to money as they didnt need bailing out like GM and Chrysler, although a few GM brands have done well too. Poor old landrover, and Mitsubishi? Some of the Mitsubishi lovers who were scoffing at suggestions Hyundai are a more reliable vehicle, try explaining this result. Same with the VW Nazis

Jinsei

I wonder where CrustyClown is.. Now is the time for him to gaa gaa over his beloved Mitsubishi Lancer ES 2.0 Manual.

I remember him saying that the i30 is generations behind the lancer and so wonder what he has to say about this survey result. Mitsubishi consistently have done below average in this survey while Hyundai have contiued their steady move upwards to finally finish 6th among non-luxury brands.

Robin Graves

I dont think it matters what facts are in front of clowns like him, its all smoke and mirrors in the circus!

jinsei

Spot on, Robin. Facts never matter to folks like him.

Yonny

As far as I can determine, Mitsubishi Lancers sold in the US are assembled in the US. Note that I’m not sure what “assembled” means in the context in which I saw it – I would guess it means it was put together from imported (CKD?) parts, as opposed to actually being completely made in the US.

Either way, you’re not getting Japanese build quality, and US-built cars are not exactly renowned for their build quality. That might explain why Mitsubishi rates relatively poorly in JD Power.

Nick K

VWs poor performance in these ratings mirrors my own personal experience with the brand… sub-par reliability. Even though VW make interesting and appealing cars after 2 of them I just have had enough of the constant niggles and issue. When the i30 gets the 6 speed auto and the high output 1.6 diesel (94Kw) I’ll buy one over a Golf because it will be technically good, have 5 year warranty and above all be reliable.

Golfschwein

If it’s like the Kia Ceed I drove in the UK recently (and it will be), you’ll be wanting your Golf back, faults and all.

Jinsei

The Cee’d has already been voted the best small car in Germany by Autobuilt beating your beloved Golf. What more do you want? Do you think a magazine like Autobuilt would have voted the Kia best in class only for its cheap running and purchase costs?

If you drive all Asian cars with bias obviously nothing can be good enough.

Golfschwein

Really? Or did it just win the Nicest Alloy Wheels prize? Did Autobild not detect the vague gear shift, short gearing and just-adequate suspension?

jinsei

If you don’t admit the facts given in front of you and only want to joke around then nobody can help.

Kia have been sellig cars for decades in Europe, and it is only after the Cee’d was launched that their sales showed rapid increase. If the Cee’d did not have any improvement in drivability, quality and reliability from previous models, that couldn’t have happened.
Golfschwein

Have you driven both?
Jinsei

Golfschwein,
your question is totally irrelevant. Even if I have driven both and like the Ceed better than the Golf it does not necessarily mean that the former is a better car than the later as individuals’ opinions can differ to large extent.

I believe road tests by a magazine like Autobuild is much more reliable than one’ personal driving experience as it involves objective testing with use of various equipment that measures body rigidiy, lateral acceleration, breaking distance and 0-100 acceleration.

So your personal preference for the Golf should not be forced on others if there is a car comparison that suggests the contrary.

Golfschwein

My personal experience is not irrelevant at all. If Autobild (no ‘u’, okay? It’s not a construction company) prefer the Ceed over the Golf, that’s their business.

But they didn’t. Oh sure, I can see that the Ceed has won numerous COTY awards, such as Greece’s, Sweden’s and Belgium’s as well as awards from What Diesel Car? Someone also gave it the UK Tow Car of the Year award.

There’s no sign of it picking up ANY award from Autobild. Kia makes no mention of it on their German or UK website and nor does Autobild. Autobild’s Jan Horn compared it to the Golf Mk V (that’s the old one, right?) and Nissan Tiida in 2008 and declared the Golf the winner.

I’m not saying that the Ceed was horrible. It wasn’t. The orange instrument lighting and alloys are groovy and it’s quite a good little jigger for those Europeans wanting a 7 year warranty, but I’m pleased to see my experience correlating with that of Autobild after all. My seemingly inflamatory comment was that anyone trading their Golf for an i30, which shares underpinnings with the Ceed, will want their Golf back, and I stand by that.

jinsei

Golfschwein,

In addition to all the awards that you have mentioned above, the Cee’d finished 4th in 2008 European Car of the Year contest beating the likes of the Golf, Astra and 308.

The cee’d was also named the best pick, outperforming the Golf, Astra, Toyota Auris in a C-segment comparion review by ACE Lenkrad, a German auto magazine.

And these are just a few more examples that suggest the Cee’d isn’t as awful as you make it out to be.

- Autobild(sorry about my spelling) C segment head-on comparison test:
The Kia Cee’d : 425 points
The Audi A3 : 417 points

Let me remind you that the assessment was based on exterior/interior design, powertrain/Chassis and costs. Not just on costs as you would claim.

- Autobild 100,000Km Durability Test
Among 59 models tested
the Cee’d finished 5th only after the BMW130i, Mazda 6, Mazda5, and
Toyota Prius

The rankings that I referred to only listed down to the 16th place and I could not find the Golf.

I think these are enough to suggest at least that the Cee’d is a respectable competitor in European C-segment and that reasonable shoppers that trade in their Golf for a Cee’d are not likely to want their Golf back if its poor reilability status persists.
jinsei

I have confused ACE Lenkrad’s review with Autobild’s in my
previous comment posted on 19 March. So I actually meant ACE Lenkard
not Autobild. I apologise for any inconvenience this has caused.

Cheers

AAA

How many km does an average Porsche clock in a year? Maybe 3000km?

Chris

I dont know how many manufacturer\’s other than Porsche will warrant your car even when it has been used in motorsport !!!

Golfschwein

I’ll take this as Gospel and allow a 400% variation for all.
Aussie Sheila

LOl @ Land Rover. maybe because its driven off road all the time
mmmmm

This doesn’t transfer well to Australia.
A lot of the Australian models from many of these manufactures come from different countries and factories than the US models
Lynchy

Yeah I have to agree with fourI6, I think Ford and Holden make extremely reliable cars that can suffer from poor quality materials, they’ll keep going and going (the large cars like Falcon and Commodore) but they can have the tendency to have a lot of squeeks and stuff falling apart inside in particular. From experience I think the FG has made a good attempt at improving the interior build quality, haven’t had much experience with the VEs but I’m sure that whilst the interior looks dated now it is probably a huge leap in terms of quality over the previous VZ generation.
UMWAHT

“How many km does an average Porsche clock in a year? Maybe 3000km?”

not necessarily. Porsches arent as difficult to live with as Veyrons or Ferrari Enzos

dont we always see Cayennes on the road? and a 911 or Cayman are just as simple as any other sport coupes

Minnow

Yes but very few owners of a brand new porsche would live in the outer suburbs driving 25000k’s a year to go to work.

ABMPSV

…but they would trash the car on club meeting!!!

Mal

How can any car be absolutely perfect? After all, they are built by humans. . However, just imagine some massive company like Toyota or VAG pouring money into cancer or AIDS research with the same ambition to be world leaders. It just doesn’t happen. Why not? The best you’ll find is someone begging at your front door for help and a donation. I’m sure we’ve all lost (or will lose) someone. Think about the products you use everyday and stop to imagine where that money could have been better spent. Believe me I love my cars, but f**k this planet’s priorities are wrong.
Mal

And may I add what does “dependable” mean? My 1997 306 (purchased brand new) is absolutely atrocious in terms of build quality. The trim is flaking apart. The clear coat has cracked and the paint faded. However, it has NEVER once stalled, NEVER not started, NEVER burnt oil, NEVER left me stranded for need of a tow truck in close to 14 years. The AC still blows frigid cold without a singe service. What exactly is the definition of dependable?

jinsei

Dependability these days has a lot to do with electrical parts.

What would you do if your windows all go down even when you didn’t press the button at all?

What if all the lights on the instrument panel come steady on or start blinking like a mad dog when you have done absolutely nothing?

All this happens in recently produced vehicles and cause many consumers tonnes of pain.

Smoov

Firstly, why is this even being reported in Oz. Most of the cars that were built in the relevant factories, aren’t even sold here. Secondly, from the top of the list, through to the bottom, the difference in the number of faults, equals to just over one fault per car (over 3 years), to 2 and a half faults per car at the bottom (over 3 years). Hardly what you would call a staggering difference. So, in the whole list, no car averaged more than 1 fault per year. I’ll bet your computer and mobile phone, aren’t as reliable.
Lukaas

By the way manufacturers are opting for “less durable” parts these days (and the last decade), as a business strategy plan. Basically, after a certain amount of usage, some parts will fail which forces to buy a new car and keep the economy going.

As they say, they dont make cars for the sake of making them “good” and “engineering marvel” anymore. They make them to make money.

Using thinner sheet metals, using lower class materials, using fasteners and clips that fail after x amoung of cycles…. These are the jobs of Automotive engineers these days.

Innovation to cost cut and continue business… rather than creating fantastic, technology defying work.

If cars were designed strictly for technology advancement, then we would be seeing much much more advanced vehicles on the roads by now.

But that wouldnt happen, too many companies would lose out on money that way.

Lukaas

By the way manufacturers are opting for “less durable” parts these days (and the last decade), as a business strategy plan. Basically, after a certain amount of usage, some parts will fail which forces to buy a new car and keep the economy going.

As they say, they dont make cars for the sake of making them “good” and “engineering marvel” anymore. They make them to make money.

Using thinner sheet metals, using lower class materials, using fasteners and clips that fail after x amoung of cycles…. These are the jobs of Automotive engineers these days.

Innovation to cost cut and continue business… rather than creating fantastic, technology defying work. If an engineer has an idea that would help motorists everywhere, maybe a car thatb doesnt need to be replaced for 10-15 years, he/she would be chewed down eventually as thats not good for sales short term.

Someone google that tyre designed by Michellin… basically, didnt need replacement at all, a Tyre that did not “wear out”… fantastuic engineering… poor commercial product though… the comnpany almost went broke, as no one was buying new tyres after buying their first.

If cars were designed strictly for technology advancement, then we would be seeing much much more advanced vehicles on the roads by now.

But that wouldnt happen, too many companies would lose out on money that way.

noj

I think these surveys are a little misleading. I would love to see the break down of complaints and then determine whether they are serious car faults or just minor things that are easily fixed under warranty. I have had a VW since 2006 and its been absolutely faultless and with 170k approaching it shows no sign of stopping either. I can only speak from my personal experience, not some crap that I have conjured up. Now I`m waiting for the negatives to come flooding in.
MazMagic

Some classic examples when a car is not built in the country where the company is located!

…and I thought Scion is a Toyota too.

KokomoKid

Scion is Toyota, and the three cars they sell are all from Japan. Generally speaking, the Toyotas from Japan seem to have better build quality than those build in North America, so it seems strange that Scion is so low in the rankings.

BTW, I have an “unreliable” Mini, and an slmost as unreliable Chevrolet, but both of them have done very well so far.

I’m in USA where these data came from.

Shak

Wow, Jaguar’s taking a beating in this survey. But then again they don’t give you the full stats do they. Its not possible for them to survey every owner of every vehicle form one brand so this is just an average survey, so they could have missed quiet a few owners with problems.
Neo Utopia

Test 2
Neo Utopia

Thanks CA, I can finaly post from my iPhone.

These reliability ratings are subliminal in my opinion. Jeremy Clarkson rarely advises people to purchase a car only on it’s good reliability rating. He looks at cars more wholistically to advise which car is nicer to be in or drive, whatever the brand.

Is it just me or people seem to be just only using theirs brains more so rather than all their senses like sight, touch, hearing, biological geforce sensor etc.

So which would be nicer to OWN, an Alfa Romeo 157 or Mazda6? Keep the comments coming in! This is such a good discussion website.
Tim

Have a friend with a ’05 VW Bora. Swears he will never buy VW again, has had so many problems its ridiculous. Now his air con is gone and VW is quoting $3 GRAND!

noj

I think you will find that any car can have problems, I have a 2001 VW Bora 4motion and like I said its done near on 170k and no problems so far. But I have had a few Falcons and had a fair bit of trouble with them, yet my parents have had no problems with theirs apart from a loose earth wire. So I think its just one of those things you just get the odd lemon or two

Muse

100% Correct.

Gambler88

first off i’d rather have caradvice turn the ratings off because everyone have their own personal opinion. by having a negative ratings people don’t feel free to express their own opinion for fear of having a negative ratings….

back to topic…..the results would be better if (like a few people have pointed out) included the number of km’s and the severity of problems reported. i would assume that a porsches travelling 2k/yr would have a lot less problems than a porsches travelling 10k/yr.

now time to wait for the negative ratings to flood in…….
ElecEng

I believe the late 90s were a period where the manufacturers built good solid long lasting cars that are reliable (not so much with well built interior).

I can only speak for the Japanese cars since those are the cars I own(ed).

I had a 1996 corolla. The engine has done 240k kms and it’s still going strong, but the interior trim are very loose. I’ve since changed to wrx 2000 and crv 2000, and although it looks cheap inside, the engines are still excellent (both 140k kms) and the interior haven’t fallen off.

Seems that electronics are the major failing point in new cars. It’s ironic because in electrical term, the electronics should last longer because it has no moving parts. I guess it all depends to the programmer.
Tim

My son has a 1991 Mazda 626 2.2 4cyl (COTY Winner), it has done 335 000km. All he does to it is change oil every 5000km and rotate tires along with a wash. It doesn’t smoke, interior is remarkable condition and nothing has ever gone wrong apart from the starter motor/battery. It still has so much power and drives great. Only bad thing is the paint.

From this, I have great respect for Mazda and Japanese manufacturers. They build cars which will last 20+ years with regular use and service.
bert b

VW 3rd from the bottom where they belong! One of the most overrated brands on the road, lexus & Toyota still the best of the jap brands!
bert b

Mazda 8th from the bottom that will stir the mazda lovers up!
Neo Utopia

I don’t know about in Australia, but in the UK if a man was driving either a Camry or an Aurion, many single women in the middle neighbourhoods would look over in amusement. However, if the same man wearing the same cloths was driving a Alfa Romeo 157, the single women would look over with some admiration.

The point being, if your married, just get a boring reliable A to B eastern car (not a Lexus IS, Mazda6 or Honda Accord EURO). However, if you like the finer things in life, including women, then I would suggest buying something with more PASION and EMOTION.

Bob

In Australia, people don’t really care about Alfas (except for the old guys in the Alfa club down the road). They’re just seen as nice looking, but slow and unreliable cars for sleazy old italian guys dreaming of the homeland.

Neo Utopia

Actually I should have mentioned the 159, as it’s the most up-to-date model. A 157 didn’t exist, only a 156, interesting. I don’t really like cars with stupid numbering, except for the 159!
Gan Tan

Can’t understand how Suzuki can score so poorly? Every Suzu I’ve ever driven in has been simple, basic, but ultra reliable