Lexus stood above all other automakers in the 2012 J.D. Power and Associates Dependability Study, which revealed a significant industry-wide increase in reliability.
The study measures problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners of three-year-old vehicles. Overall dependability is determined by the level of problems experienced per 100 vehicles, with a lower score equating to higher quality higher quality. Over 31,000 consumers participated in the study.
With 86 problems per 100 cars, Lexus topped the study, followed by Porsche and Cadillac. At the other end of the spectrum, Chrysler Group’s four brands finished at the bottom of the rankings, with Chrysler itself receiving the lowest rating of 192 problems per 100 cars.
The industry-wide average rate of problems fell 13 percent from the previous year to 132 per 100 cars, representing the lowest rate since J.D. Power began conducting the study in 1990. Of the 32 brands measured, 25 improved vehicle dependability from the year before while one stayed even and just six lost ground.
“Despite facing immense challenges in 2009, automakers placed a keen focus on delivering outstanding levels of quality, which they understood would be essential to their long-term success,†said David Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power and Associates.
Have a look at the image gallery above for the entire set of rankings.
