Lexus LS (Photo : http://www.usautowrecking.com/)
The annual J.D. Power Survey on auto reliability is out. And for the fourth time in four years, Lexus has topped the survey. Buick and Toyota came second and third respectively. Cadillac, Honda and Porsche were tied for fourth place, San Jose Mercury News has reported.
In terms of the number of problems reported per 100 cars, Lexus owners reported only 89 problems per 100 cars,. Buick owners reported 110, followed by Toyota at 111, Cadillac at 114, while Honda and Porsche tied for fifth pace with 116, Star Tribune has reported.
Fiat was the worst performing brand, with 273 problems per 100 cars. Land Rover, Jeep, Mini and Dodge comprised the worst five performers on the survey. The industry average was 147 problems per car.
In rankings of specific car companies, Toyota Motor Company was joint first with General Motors. Each company had seven segment winners each. In terms of specific car models Chevrolet Malibu was ranked the most dependable midsize car and the Toyota Corolla was ranked the most dependable small car.
J.D. Power has been conducting this dependability survey from 1989, and surveyed well over 34,000 car owners for the latest survey.
In this year's survey the methodology and criteria adopted were different from past years. The survey from this year has also started to focus increasingly on smart gadgets and whether these cars offer such new technologies and gadgets to buyers.
In past years operational or design issues topped the list of complaints filed by customers with auto companies. However, in this edition of the survey the customer complaints that were reported most often were: inability to pair phones to the car and difficulties with voice recognition systems. This is a radical change from the past.
