You have to look carefully at the information below, and look at the variety of problems they were talking about; now, in the instance of the extremes, particularly at the lower end, there could very well have been issues in the first three years that were debilitating, and left owners stranded by the side of the road, but normally that's not the case. People have a propensity, and it will very likely continue, for those lucky enough to be able to secure a car loan in this day and age, to complain about everything that has even remotely smelled like a defect when their car needs to go to the dealer for warranty work. And as the ex-mechanic, you know I know this is true; I'm talking condensation on the fog lamp lenses when it rains, the famous "wet dog" smell when the A/C is turned on, wind noise you'd never have noticed, or dismissed, had you not just bought this vehicle. That's the stuff warranty repairs are made of. Martha's Freestyle was actually probably the first newer vehicle I think I've actually had any personal interest in that had a major safety or reliability issue, when the brakes started grinding last summer with less than 36,000 miles on the clock. It was covered under warranty, and as it turned out, it was what's referred to as a "program" repair, meaning that this is a known condition, but not necessarily one resulting from a mandated recall. A lot of times, program repairs will be described in Technical Service Bulletins, frequently to avoid a government-mandated recall. Make what you will of that.
Anyway, take such information, as I would always recommend, with a grain of salt; consider also that the demographic that most frequently purchases a vast percentage of the top-ten vehicles on this list, is over 55 years of age, and have bought the Lexus, and Cadillacs and BMWs and Mercurys and Buicks.....Yes, then, these vehicles make great used cars, if you happen to have the money, but when the owner of the vehicle when it was new was a person who had the time and money to obsess about such minutiae, that's bound to be the case. As with any used car purchase, it's all about the care involved in maintaining the vehicle.
Most Dependable Vehicles
Lexus continues streak; long-term vehicle quality improves overall.
By Perry Stern of MSN autos
The premium brand of Toyota, Lexus once again topped the 2008 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study.
For the 14th consecutive year, Lexus is at the top of the J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS). The VDS measures problem symptoms experienced by original owners of three-year-old vehicles (2005 models). The vehicles are scored based on the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100).
The 2008 study shows that Lexus vehicles were reported to have just 120 PP100 — an improvement of 25 problems since the 2007 study was released. The study also found that long-term vehicle quality has improved by five percent industry-wide in 2008 (an overall decrease of 10 PP100) compared to 2007.
According to J.D. Power, customers reported experiencing 75 percent more problems in the third year of ownership than during the first 90 days. Models that showed the largest increase in problems logically showed the most noticeable declines in satisfaction.
“Understanding and minimizing quality deterioration is critical for manufacturers, as it is a key driver of owner satisfaction and word of mouth recommendations,” said David Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J.D. Power and Associates. “It is imperative that manufacturers design models that not only achieve high levels of initial quality but also attain high levels of longer-term dependability. Vehicle models that stand the test of time will help automaker profitability through superior owner satisfaction and recommendation rates.”
Surprisingly, five of the top 10 complaints in this study matched those frequently reported in the 2005 Initial Quality Study, indicating that car companies still haven’t figured out how to fix these issues. The five items were: excessive wind noise; noisy brakes; vehicle pulling to the left or right, issues with the instrument panel/dashboard; and excessive window fogging.
“Although automakers have achieved tremendous gains in initial quality and dependability in recent years by specifically addressing customer concerns, these particular problems still prove challenging for manufacturers,” said Sargent.
Among manufacturers, Mercury, Cadillac, Toyota and Acura trailed Lexus in second through fifth places, respectively. Land Rover continues to sit at the bottom of the list with a reported 344 PP100. Saab remains below industry average, but with 65 fewer problems since 2007, the brand showed the most improvement of all manufacturers.
In addition to Lexus topping the manufacturer list, the brand led six vehicle segments — more than any other marque. The winners included the ES 330, GX 470, IS 300, LS 430, LX 470 and SC 430.
Toyota owned five segment awards for the Highlander, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, and Tundra, while Ford and Honda each captured two awards.
The 2008 Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from more than 52,000 original owners of 2005 model year vehicles. The study took place from January through April 2008.
Top Vehicles By Segment
Sub-Compact CarHyundai Accent
Compact CarToyota Prius
Compact Sporty CarMazda Miata*
Midsize Sporty CarChevrolet Monte Carlo
Midsize CarBuick Century*
Large CarFord Crown Victoria*
Compact Premium Sporty CarHonda S2000*
Entry Premium CarLexus IS 300
Midsize Premium CarLexus ES 330
Large Premium CarLexus LS 430*
Premium Sporty CarLexus SC 430*
Compact Multi-Activity VehicleHonda Element (tie)Toyota RAV4 (tie)*
Midsize Multi-Activity VehicleToyota Highlander
Large Multi-Activity VehicleToyota Sequoia*
Large PickupToyota Tundra*
Midsize PickupFord Ranger
VanMercury Monterey
Midsize Premium Multi-Activity VehicleLexus GX 470*
Large Premium Multi-Activity VehicleLexus LX 470*
Top 10 Nameplates
Lexus
120 PP100
Mercury
151 PP100
Cadillac
155 PP100
Toyota
159 PP100
Acura
160 PP100
Buick
163 PP100
BMW
164 PP100
Lincoln
165 PP100
Honda
177 PP100
Jaguar
178 PP100
Source: J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Vehicle Dependability Study
*Repeat winners