J.D.Power’s Vehicle Dependability Study this year has thrown up a surprise. For the first time in twelve years, Lexus has company at the top spot. Buick tied up with Lexus for the top spot this year.
The study measured problems experienced by original vehicle owners of the 2004 model year (3 year old vehicles). Buick and Lexus both have a score of 145 problems per 100 vehicles. Cadillac came third with a score of 162 and was followed closely by Mercury (168) and Honda (169). Three of the top five brands (Honda, Mercury and Buick) are not premium brands, this shows that customers have a good chance of reliability even when buying non-premium brands.
Five models from Lexus led their respective segment, the parent company Toyota had four models that took top honors in their respective segments. Honda, Oldsmobile and Ford each had two models at the top. Though Buick was at the top in the study, only one model from this brand could top its segment. Models from Chevrolet, Infiniti, Mazda and Scion, had one model at the top of their respective segments.
The study rated Hummer as the most improved brand, although it still ranks below the industry’s average. Hummer showed an improvement by 65 PP100 as compared to its score in last year’s study.
Dependability study shows that vehicles with strong dependability maintain high residual values. Also, since the customers face less problems with vehicles having high dependability, the brand loyalty increases.
Buick and Oldsmobile did come up as surprises in this study. This is also an indication to the big brands to wake up and flex their muscles for greater dependability.
[Source: JD Power]
JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study Gallery Picture Gallery
