For the first time in 12 years, Lexus will have to share its perch at the top of J.D. Power’s Vehicle Dependability Study with another manufacturer, Buick . J.D. Power’s Vehicle Dependability Study looks at three-year-old cars (the 2004 model year) owned by the original owner and outputs a figure based on the number of problems per 100 vehicles. Lexus and Buick topped the list with 165 problems per 100 vehicles.
Lexus still topped more individual vehicle categories than Buick – with five segment award winners, the GS-Series, GX470, LS430, LX470 and SC430. Toyota won four segment categories (RAV4, Tundra, Sequoia, Tacoma) and Honda and the now-defunct Oldsmobile each won two categories. Buick won just one category, but consistent scores in the other categories helped the automaker perform so well overall.
The most improved automaker was Hummer, but its problems per 100 vehicles still falls below the average mark.
The results are as follows (problems per 100 vehicles)
Buick : 145
Lexus : 145
Cadillac : 162
Mercury: 168
Honda : 169
Toyota : 178
BMW : 182
Lincoln : 182
Subaru : 192
Oldsmobile: 196
Jaguar : 197
Acura : 207
Mercedes-Benz : 212
Infiniti : 215
Industry Average 216
Jeep : 219
Pontiac: 220
Scion : 220
Ford : 221
GMC : 222
Chevrolet : 226
Hyundai : 228
Mitsubishi : 228
Volvo : 230
Audi : 234
Dodge : 236
Hummer: 242
Mini: 247
Chrysler : 249
Porsche : 252
Nissan : 274
Saturn: 274
Kia : 288
Mazda : 289
Volkswagen : 298
Saab : 319
Isuzu: 322
Suzuki : 324
Land Rover : 398
And below are the top three vehicles per segment:
Sub-Compact Car
Highest Ranked: Scion xA
Hyundai Accent
Chevrolet Aveo
Compact Car
Highest Ranked: Honda Civic
Toyota Prius
Toyota Corolla
Compact Sporty Car
Highest Ranked: Mazda Miata
Mitsubishi Lancer /Lancer Sportback
Toyota Celica
Midsize Sporty Car
Highest Ranked:Chevrolet SSR (tie), Ford Mustang (tie)
Toyota Solara
Midsize Car
Highest Ranked: Buick Century
Buick Regal
Mercury Sable
Large Car
Highest Ranked: Ford Crown Victoria
Mercury Grand Marquis
Buick Park Avenue
Compact Premium Sporty Car
Highest Ranked: Honda S2000
BMW Z4
Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class
Entry Premium Car
Highest Ranked: Infiniti I35
Cadillac CTS
Lexus IS 300/IS 300 SportCross
Midsize Premium Car
Highest Ranked: Lexus GS 300/GS 430
Acura RL
Lexus ES 330
Large Premium Car
Highest Ranked: Lexus LS 430
Lincoln Town Car
Cadillac DeVille
Premium Sporty Car
Highest Ranked: Lexus SC 430
Ford Thunderbird
Chevrolet Corvette
Compact MAV
Highest Ranked: Toyota RAV4
Honda CR-V
Honda Element
Midsize MAV
Highest Ranked: Oldsmobile Bravada
Buick Rainier
Toyota 4Runner
Large MAV
Highest Ranked: Toyota Sequoia
GMC Yukon
Chevrolet Suburban
Large Pickup
Highest Ranked: Toyota Tundra
Ford F-150 Heritage/F-150 Lightning
Ford F-150 LD
Midsize Pickup
Highest Ranked: Toyota Tacoma
Ford Ranger
Mazda B-Series
Van
Highest Ranked: Oldsmobile Silhouette
Mercury Monterey
Honda Odyssey
Midsize Premium MAV
Highest Ranked: Lexus GX 470
Lexus RX 300
Infiniti FX-Series
Large Premium MAV
Highest Ranked: Lexus LX 470
Toyota Land Cruiser
Cadillac Escalade EXT
