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Industry Report Part 3: Toyota and Lexus Take 7 First Place Finishes in J.D. Power VDS

GM, Ford, Chrysler, Honda and Toyota Take Top Spots in Vehicle Dependability Study

In this final installment of a three part J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Vehicle Dependability Study overview, well take a look at which individual cars are responsible for helping each company climb up the ratings charts. This is not only interesting, but also useful if youre looking for reliable transportation.

To once again review information necessary to understand this particular study, the results were obtained by surveying more than 48,000 original owners of 2001 model year cars and light trucks.

If youve read the last few reports, no doubt youve seen a few trends. The most obvious is how strong the Japanese automakers

If youre looking for reliable transportation, J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Vehicle Dependability Study is a good place to start. (Photo: J.D. Power and Associates)

are when it comes to reliability, led primarily by Toyota and its premium Lexus division, as well as Honda and its luxury Acura subsidiary. While Nissan has slipped a little, Infiniti is near the top.

But not all the Japanese are winning at the problems per 100 vehicle (PP100) game, some having recently been upstaged by the domestics. Yes its true, General Motors,

While the Japanese brands still dominate the top of the list, the domestic companies are starting to catch up. (Photo: Lexus)

Ford Motor Company and DaimlerChrysler are looking pretty good compared to Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, and to some extent Mazda, Nissan and Subaru, while eclipsing the Koreans too. Some brands, such as Buick and Cadillac, are well in the top 5 of the nameplate ranking, with Mercury in the top 10.

Another trend is the poor performance of most European brands. Amazingly only Porsche made the top 10 in the nameplate study, with BMW and Saab managing 13th and 14th. The

Porsche was the only European brand that made it into the top 10 in the nameplate study. (Photo: Porsche Cars North America)

rest of the Euros are well below the industry average, starting with Audi (22nd), Jaguar (25th), Mercedes-Benz (28th), Volvo (30th), Volkswagen (33rd), and Land Rover in the final 37th position out of 37 nameplates - or in other words, dead last. Not a single European nameplate achieved a top rating in its segment. Even more astounding, out of 17 categories and 51 top 3 winners only 2 European vehicles made the list. And to add insult to injury, the Mercedes-Benz SLK and Porsche Boxster are low volume niche models fighting in out in the Premium Sports Car segment. Can you name

Third place in the Compact Car category is the hybrid-electric Honda Insight, the only HEV to win an award for reliability. (Photo: American Honda)

a domestic premium sports car made in 2001 that might be able to put up a reasonable fight? OK, the Corvette. But thats about it. The winner of the Premium Sports Car category, however, is the Honda S2000, another example of Japanese dominance when it comes to dependability.

Similar results were experienced in the Sporty Car category, with the Toyota MR2 Spyder taking top honors, followed by the Mazda MX5 Miata and Honda Prelude, the latter now discontinued.

But most of us dont live in the single, no kids, but lot of disposable income world. Those entering the car market tend to shop for

The Chevrolet Malibu once again took 1st place in the Entry Midsize Category. (Photo: General Motors)

more modest transportation, a segment of the population that demands dependable day-in and day-out service. Once again the Japanese walk away with 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in the Compact Car class, but with a bit of a twist. While Toyota once again takes the highest ranking with its venerable Corolla, the car that manages a repeat performance in 2nd is a version of the Corolla with a Chevy bowtie on the grille and Prizm nametag on the rear decklid. The Prizm, built in the Toyota/GM joint venture NUMMI plant in Southern California, is no longer available unfortunately, but at least it has been replaced by the equally impressive Pontiac Vibe crossover wagon, that shares architecture with the Toyota Matrix. In 3rd place in the Compact

Toyotas quirky looking but nevertheless dependable Avalon took top spot in the Premium Midsize Car category. (Photo: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.)

Car category is the Honda Insight, a very low volume 2-seat HEV (hybrid-electric), the only of its type to win an award for reliability. The Insight replaces the Civic that held this place last year.

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