2004 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study (Lexus #1 threads merged)
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Lead Lap
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Toyota nets quality award -- again
Toyota nets quality award -- again
J.D. Power says Detroit's big three made impressive gains; VW, Land Rover struggle.
June 29, 2004: 3:37 PM EDT
DETROIT (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp. was the highest-ranking automaker in an annual vehicle quality survey released on Tuesday, with its Lexus luxury brand winning top honors for the 10th consecutive year.
The closely watched J.D. Power and Associates survey of long-term vehicle dependability is based on responses from 48,000 owners of three-year-old vehicles in the United States when questioned about scores of specific problems ranging from wind or brake noise to uneven tire wear and stalling engines.
The survey is key to the auto industry because 52 percent of new car buyers say long-term quality is one of the most important factors in their choice of brands, according to J.D. Power. It is also important to automakers because of warranty costs.
Toyota's Lexus unit topped the brand rankings with 162 problems per 100 vehicles. But Japan's largest automaker also led manufacturers overall, with 207 problems per 100 vehicles, followed closely by Honda Motor Co. Ltd. with 210 problems.
Porsche AG, with 240 problems, General Motors Corp. with 262, and BMW AG with 264, rounded out the top five.
"The two (Toyota and Honda) are head and shoulders above everybody else and the factor there is that they were the first in the industry to recognize that building vehicles that last is really the most important thing," said Joe Ivers, J.D. Power's executive director of quality and customer satisfaction research.
"Building vehicles that last tends to produce a whole lot of benefits that aren't immediately obvious. One of course is that it satisfies more customers, it gets you more customers," Ivers told Reuters.
For the second straight year, GM was alone among Detroit's traditional Big Three automakers in ranking above the industry average of 269 problems per 100 vehicles. Its Buick brand placed No. 2 behind Lexus and its Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Saab and Saturn nameplates all scored above the industry average as well.
Ivers said Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler unit of DaimlerChrysler also made impressive gains.
"The domestics have been touting for a couple of years now the commitments they've been making to long-term quality, and we just had not seen, until now, consistent evidence of that. Now we're really seeing that," Ivers said.
Preception lags reality
Despite improvements, Ivers, who noted that GM was neck-and-neck with Toyota in the number of highly ranked vehicles, cautioned that Detroit has an image problem stemming from some of its poorly built vehicles of the past, however.
"It takes a long time for a reputation to get healed ... The perception tends to lag the reality sometimes by as much as 10 years," Ivers told reporters on a conference call.
"There's a large cross-section of customers out there who just will not consider a domestically produced vehicle and in many cases the (past) quality is the barrier," he said.
Volkswagen AG and its Audi unit both improved over last year's results. But VW was still near the bottom of the survey and Ivers said virtually all European automakers were struggling with quality problems.
Land Rover, which Ivers described as a perennial loser, finished last among individual nameplates. "They're highly desirable vehicles but they tend to have a tough time getting customers to buy more than one," he said.
Since their 1998 linkup with Chrysler, executives at Daimler have boasted about how Mercedes-Benz would show its poor American cousin how to build more dependable and desirable vehicles.
But Chrysler and its Dodge, Jeep and now-defunct Plymouth brands all out-ranked Mercedes, which had 327 problems per 100 vehicles, up from 318 problems in last year's survey.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2004 Reuters All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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J.D. Power says Detroit's big three made impressive gains; VW, Land Rover struggle.
June 29, 2004: 3:37 PM EDT
DETROIT (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp. was the highest-ranking automaker in an annual vehicle quality survey released on Tuesday, with its Lexus luxury brand winning top honors for the 10th consecutive year.
The closely watched J.D. Power and Associates survey of long-term vehicle dependability is based on responses from 48,000 owners of three-year-old vehicles in the United States when questioned about scores of specific problems ranging from wind or brake noise to uneven tire wear and stalling engines.
The survey is key to the auto industry because 52 percent of new car buyers say long-term quality is one of the most important factors in their choice of brands, according to J.D. Power. It is also important to automakers because of warranty costs.
Toyota's Lexus unit topped the brand rankings with 162 problems per 100 vehicles. But Japan's largest automaker also led manufacturers overall, with 207 problems per 100 vehicles, followed closely by Honda Motor Co. Ltd. with 210 problems.
Porsche AG, with 240 problems, General Motors Corp. with 262, and BMW AG with 264, rounded out the top five.
"The two (Toyota and Honda) are head and shoulders above everybody else and the factor there is that they were the first in the industry to recognize that building vehicles that last is really the most important thing," said Joe Ivers, J.D. Power's executive director of quality and customer satisfaction research.
"Building vehicles that last tends to produce a whole lot of benefits that aren't immediately obvious. One of course is that it satisfies more customers, it gets you more customers," Ivers told Reuters.
For the second straight year, GM was alone among Detroit's traditional Big Three automakers in ranking above the industry average of 269 problems per 100 vehicles. Its Buick brand placed No. 2 behind Lexus and its Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC, Saab and Saturn nameplates all scored above the industry average as well.
Ivers said Ford Motor Co. and the Chrysler unit of DaimlerChrysler also made impressive gains.
"The domestics have been touting for a couple of years now the commitments they've been making to long-term quality, and we just had not seen, until now, consistent evidence of that. Now we're really seeing that," Ivers said.
Preception lags reality
Despite improvements, Ivers, who noted that GM was neck-and-neck with Toyota in the number of highly ranked vehicles, cautioned that Detroit has an image problem stemming from some of its poorly built vehicles of the past, however.
"It takes a long time for a reputation to get healed ... The perception tends to lag the reality sometimes by as much as 10 years," Ivers told reporters on a conference call.
"There's a large cross-section of customers out there who just will not consider a domestically produced vehicle and in many cases the (past) quality is the barrier," he said.
Volkswagen AG and its Audi unit both improved over last year's results. But VW was still near the bottom of the survey and Ivers said virtually all European automakers were struggling with quality problems.
Land Rover, which Ivers described as a perennial loser, finished last among individual nameplates. "They're highly desirable vehicles but they tend to have a tough time getting customers to buy more than one," he said.
Since their 1998 linkup with Chrysler, executives at Daimler have boasted about how Mercedes-Benz would show its poor American cousin how to build more dependable and desirable vehicles.
But Chrysler and its Dodge, Jeep and now-defunct Plymouth brands all out-ranked Mercedes, which had 327 problems per 100 vehicles, up from 318 problems in last year's survey.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2004 Reuters All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Find this article at:
http://money.cnn.com/2004/06/29/pf/a...reut/index.htm
Thread Starter
Lead Lap
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From: USA
Lexus Test Driver
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From: Treasury
J.D. Power: Lexus again leads all brands in durability
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
BY JOHN PORRETTO
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Toyota Motor Corp. remains the automaker with the most dependable vehicles, led by its Lexus luxury brand, though Detroit's Big Three manufacturers all showed improvement in the past year, according to the latest J.D. Power and Associates vehicle dependability study released Tuesday.
For the 10th consecutive year, Lexus was the highest-ranking brand in the closely watched study. It was followed by General Motors Corp.'s Buick nameplate, Nissan Motor Co.'s Infiniti brand, Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln label and GM's revamped Cadillac lineup.
GM was the only one of the domestic automakers to score better than the industry average of 269 problems per 100 vehicles, but Ford and DaimlerChrysler AG made significant headway. Last year's industry average was 273 problems per 100 vehicles.
"The domestics are putting their money where their mouths are in terms of consistent long-term quality improvements," said Joe Ivers, J.D. Power's executive director of quality/customer satisfaction. "However, while the domestics continue to outpace the Europeans, the Japanese continue to dominate."
The study is based on responses from more than 48,000 original owners of 2001 model-year cars and trucks. It measures problems such as wind noise, excessive brake wear, vibrations and the replacement of parts not called for under normal maintenance.
Toyota, whose U.S. sales were up 11.6 percent through May, had seven models score highest in their respective segments -- the Corolla compact car, Avalon premium midsize car, MR2 Spyder sports car and 4Runner midsize sport utility vehicle for the Toyota label, and the ES 330 entry luxury car, LS 430 premium luxury car and RX 300 entry luxury SUV for Lexus.
Among individual brands, the most improved from last year were Kia, Suzuki and Audi, though all three continue to perform below the industry average. Kia had 77 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, Suzuki 38 and Audi 23.
GM was tops among the Big Three with 262 problems per 100 vehicles, two fewer than last year. Ford (275) improved by 12 problems from a year ago, and DaimlerChrysler (302) was better by nine problems.
Segment-leading models for the Big Three included the Chrysler Concorde among full-size cars, Ford Ranger among compact pickups and the redesigned GMC Sierra HD among heavy-duty, full-size pickups.
Hyundai, which showed the most improvement among 37 brands in J.D. Power's initial quality study released in April, was near the bottom in the dependability study, registering 375 problems per 100 vehicles.
The bottom five in terms of problems per 100 vehicles were Volkswagen (386), Isuzu (393), Daewoo (411), Kia (432) and Land Rover (472).
Among manufacturers, Toyota (207) was followed by American Honda Motor Co. (210), Porsche Cars North America Inc. (240), GM (262) and BMW of North America (264). Those were the only manufacturers to rank above the industry average.
Brand rankings in J.D. Power and Associates 2004 vehicle dependability study
How specific brands ranked in J.D. Power and Associates' annual vehicle dependability survey released Tuesday.
The study is based on responses from more than 48,000 original owners of 2001 model-year cars and light trucks. The figures represent the number of problems per 100 vehicles:
Brand Problems/100 vehicles
Lexus 162
Buick 187
Infiniti 189
Lincoln 194
Cadillac 196
Honda 209
Acura 212
Toyota 216
Mercury 224
Porsche 240
Chevrolet 262
GMC 262
BMW 264
Saab 265
Saturn 267
INDUSTRY AVG. 269
Ford 276
Nissan 280
Chrysler 285
Mazda 285
Subaru 288
Plymouth 289
Audi 295
Pontiac 297
Dodge 298
Jaguar 310
Jeep 314
Oldsmobile 314
Mercedes-Benz 327
Mitsubishi 327
Volvo 346
Suzuki 365
Hyundai 375
Volkswagen 386
Isuzu 393
Daewoo 411
Kia 432
Land Rover 472
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
BY JOHN PORRETTO
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Toyota Motor Corp. remains the automaker with the most dependable vehicles, led by its Lexus luxury brand, though Detroit's Big Three manufacturers all showed improvement in the past year, according to the latest J.D. Power and Associates vehicle dependability study released Tuesday.
For the 10th consecutive year, Lexus was the highest-ranking brand in the closely watched study. It was followed by General Motors Corp.'s Buick nameplate, Nissan Motor Co.'s Infiniti brand, Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln label and GM's revamped Cadillac lineup.
GM was the only one of the domestic automakers to score better than the industry average of 269 problems per 100 vehicles, but Ford and DaimlerChrysler AG made significant headway. Last year's industry average was 273 problems per 100 vehicles.
"The domestics are putting their money where their mouths are in terms of consistent long-term quality improvements," said Joe Ivers, J.D. Power's executive director of quality/customer satisfaction. "However, while the domestics continue to outpace the Europeans, the Japanese continue to dominate."
The study is based on responses from more than 48,000 original owners of 2001 model-year cars and trucks. It measures problems such as wind noise, excessive brake wear, vibrations and the replacement of parts not called for under normal maintenance.
Toyota, whose U.S. sales were up 11.6 percent through May, had seven models score highest in their respective segments -- the Corolla compact car, Avalon premium midsize car, MR2 Spyder sports car and 4Runner midsize sport utility vehicle for the Toyota label, and the ES 330 entry luxury car, LS 430 premium luxury car and RX 300 entry luxury SUV for Lexus.
Among individual brands, the most improved from last year were Kia, Suzuki and Audi, though all three continue to perform below the industry average. Kia had 77 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, Suzuki 38 and Audi 23.
GM was tops among the Big Three with 262 problems per 100 vehicles, two fewer than last year. Ford (275) improved by 12 problems from a year ago, and DaimlerChrysler (302) was better by nine problems.
Segment-leading models for the Big Three included the Chrysler Concorde among full-size cars, Ford Ranger among compact pickups and the redesigned GMC Sierra HD among heavy-duty, full-size pickups.
Hyundai, which showed the most improvement among 37 brands in J.D. Power's initial quality study released in April, was near the bottom in the dependability study, registering 375 problems per 100 vehicles.
The bottom five in terms of problems per 100 vehicles were Volkswagen (386), Isuzu (393), Daewoo (411), Kia (432) and Land Rover (472).
Among manufacturers, Toyota (207) was followed by American Honda Motor Co. (210), Porsche Cars North America Inc. (240), GM (262) and BMW of North America (264). Those were the only manufacturers to rank above the industry average.
Brand rankings in J.D. Power and Associates 2004 vehicle dependability study
How specific brands ranked in J.D. Power and Associates' annual vehicle dependability survey released Tuesday.
The study is based on responses from more than 48,000 original owners of 2001 model-year cars and light trucks. The figures represent the number of problems per 100 vehicles:
Brand Problems/100 vehicles
Lexus 162
Buick 187
Infiniti 189
Lincoln 194
Cadillac 196
Honda 209
Acura 212
Toyota 216
Mercury 224
Porsche 240
Chevrolet 262
GMC 262
BMW 264
Saab 265
Saturn 267
INDUSTRY AVG. 269
Ford 276
Nissan 280
Chrysler 285
Mazda 285
Subaru 288
Plymouth 289
Audi 295
Pontiac 297
Dodge 298
Jaguar 310
Jeep 314
Oldsmobile 314
Mercedes-Benz 327
Mitsubishi 327
Volvo 346
Suzuki 365
Hyundai 375
Volkswagen 386
Isuzu 393
Daewoo 411
Kia 432
Land Rover 472
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 5,813
Likes: 1
From: The Bay Area, CA, USA
Buick ranks 2nd!
(a smiley never associated with Lexus's ranking.
)
Domestic cars have really come a long way to regain the quality it once had.
Funny how Chrysler ranks above MB (though both below average). Whatever happened after the merger..
(a smiley never associated with Lexus's ranking.)Domestic cars have really come a long way to regain the quality it once had.
Funny how Chrysler ranks above MB (though both below average). Whatever happened after the merger..
Lead Lap
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 441
Likes: 0
From: Colorado
Originally posted by JLSC4
Man, Land Rovers are pathetic!
Why are people buying them? Ignorance I guess.
Man, Land Rovers are pathetic!
Why are people buying them? Ignorance I guess.
On a side note, I am a proud Lexus owner and member of the Toyota family.
Won't ever drive anything else.
Lexus Champion
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 3,426
Likes: 0
From: c
Originally posted by JLSC4
Man, Land Rovers are pathetic!
Why are people buying them? Ignorance I guess.
Man, Land Rovers are pathetic!
Why are people buying them? Ignorance I guess.
Oh well, it's not my money
but I've convinced her to not buy another one 
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Driver
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Posts: 153
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From: Illinois
2004 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study
For the tenth consecutive year, Lexus topped all auto manufacturers in the three-year Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) based on 2001 models. While the Lexus SC 430 was not qualified for the study released yesterday (June 29, 2004), the Lexus LS 430 took top honors in the Premium Luxury segment which also includes luxury sports cars. Runner-ups in this segment included the Infiniti Q45 and the Cadillac Eldorado.
Earlier, in the 2004 Initial Quality Study (IQS), the SC 430 set a record (only 44 problems per 100 vehicles)) as the most trouble-free model of all. This bodes well for future VDS which will include the Lexus SC 430.
Overall, the 2004 VDS ranked vehicles as follows, all above the industry average of 269 pp 100 v: (1) Lexus, (2) Buick, (3) Infiniti, (4) Lincoln, (5) Cadillac, (6) Honda, (7) Acura, (8) Toyota, (9) Mercury, (10) Porsche, (11) Chevrolet, (12) BMW, (13) Saab and (14) Saturn.
Manufacturers finishing below the industry average included Audi, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and last place Land Rover.
For details, check
http://www.jdpower.com
Earlier, in the 2004 Initial Quality Study (IQS), the SC 430 set a record (only 44 problems per 100 vehicles)) as the most trouble-free model of all. This bodes well for future VDS which will include the Lexus SC 430.
Overall, the 2004 VDS ranked vehicles as follows, all above the industry average of 269 pp 100 v: (1) Lexus, (2) Buick, (3) Infiniti, (4) Lincoln, (5) Cadillac, (6) Honda, (7) Acura, (8) Toyota, (9) Mercury, (10) Porsche, (11) Chevrolet, (12) BMW, (13) Saab and (14) Saturn.
Manufacturers finishing below the industry average included Audi, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and last place Land Rover.
For details, check
http://www.jdpower.com
Last edited by PBEchicago; Jun 30, 2004 at 03:54 PM.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,223
Likes: 221
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
That's quite an achivement for the SC430...especially considering the complex folding top...that's a lot of parts and mechanisms to go wrong.
Hard to believe, though, that the Cadillac Eldorado ranked that high....I test-drove one recently brand-new...for a prospective buyer.....and I wasn't impressed at all with its build quality. In fact, that car has now been dropped.
The LS430.....what more can you say?......a truly excellent car. Always has been.
Buick's high rating, while suprising for a GM product, is also borne out to some extent by Consumer Reports......the Regal has surpassed even the Camry and Accord in reliability.
One annoying thing about the J.D. Power ratings....and being a regular J.D. Power automotive panelist myself, I have complained to their management about this.....is their habit of listing ONLY the above-average companies by RANK (1st, 2nd, etc.....) while NOT listing the below-average companies by rank....just as a group. This tells you what the best companies were, but not the worst ones....only those that were "below average". Unfortunately, management has not seen fit to change this system yet, citing the excuse that they don't to give "bad publicity" to the worst-performers. I say this does a disservice to auto buyers.
Hard to believe, though, that the Cadillac Eldorado ranked that high....I test-drove one recently brand-new...for a prospective buyer.....and I wasn't impressed at all with its build quality. In fact, that car has now been dropped.
The LS430.....what more can you say?......a truly excellent car. Always has been.
Buick's high rating, while suprising for a GM product, is also borne out to some extent by Consumer Reports......the Regal has surpassed even the Camry and Accord in reliability.
One annoying thing about the J.D. Power ratings....and being a regular J.D. Power automotive panelist myself, I have complained to their management about this.....is their habit of listing ONLY the above-average companies by RANK (1st, 2nd, etc.....) while NOT listing the below-average companies by rank....just as a group. This tells you what the best companies were, but not the worst ones....only those that were "below average". Unfortunately, management has not seen fit to change this system yet, citing the excuse that they don't to give "bad publicity" to the worst-performers. I say this does a disservice to auto buyers.
CL Community Team
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 30,272
Likes: 350
From: Canada
Originally posted by mmarshall
One annoying thing about the J.D. Power ratings....and being a regular J.D. Power automotive panelist myself, I have complained to their management about this.....is their habit of listing ONLY the above-average companies by RANK (1st, 2nd, etc.....) while NOT listing the below-average companies by rank....just as a group. This tells you what the best companies were, but not the worst ones....only those that were "below average". Unfortunately, management has not seen fit to change this system yet, citing the excuse that they don't to give "bad publicity" to the worst-performers. I say this does a disservice to auto buyers.
One annoying thing about the J.D. Power ratings....and being a regular J.D. Power automotive panelist myself, I have complained to their management about this.....is their habit of listing ONLY the above-average companies by RANK (1st, 2nd, etc.....) while NOT listing the below-average companies by rank....just as a group. This tells you what the best companies were, but not the worst ones....only those that were "below average". Unfortunately, management has not seen fit to change this system yet, citing the excuse that they don't to give "bad publicity" to the worst-performers. I say this does a disservice to auto buyers.
Last edited by Gojirra99; Jul 1, 2004 at 05:21 AM.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 94,223
Likes: 221
From: Virginia/D.C. suburbs
Originally posted by SexySC
Here 's your above & below average ranking cart from J D Power:
Here 's your above & below average ranking cart from J D Power:
Anyhow, I hope you're right....it will be nice if they start doing this across the board.
And, in this case, their low ranking for Hyundai doesn't match what Consumer Reports' data does......CR has every Hyundai product except the Elantra as average or better in reliability. Kia sales are still too low for CR to have much of a database on them.
And it also makes you wonder how old some of the data on that chart is. Notice how they have rankings for NEW 2004 Plymouths.......new Plymouths have not been built at all for several years.