I had 5 sc, no problem except wears...
I had my LX for 2 yrs and 45K miles, no problem at all..
GS for 2 years for no problem...
IS for 2 and half year, LS430 for 1 year, Rx for 6 month, IS 5 spd for 6 month, none of them had any problem...
Lexus tops!!!!!!!

 

The * means reliability data is based on one model year ( the latest ) only.



Not much on this list that is surprising. CR is THE definitive source for auto reliability. When THESE guys tell you something, you can usually believe it. The Subaru Baja, for example, in CR's database, got off to a rocky start a few years ago, but is now better-than-average like all other Subaru products. And CR has noted the increasing problem rate on Camrys in the last couple of years.

I depend on CR myself ( and am not ashamed to admit it ), more than any other single magazine source ( and my own ability, of course, to look at and examine a new vehicle and judge how well it is built ) to make reliability recommendations to people who ask.

 

I agree with you.

These Lexus/Camry transmission problems are very likely first year troubles.

I noticed the Avalon went from average to above average reliability.

 

Consistency!

http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/autos/reliable/8.html

Koz

 

Low Cost.... High Profits
Consistency
Robust Products
etc.

 

Koz,

Topics that are not directly related to the 2IS do not belong in this forum please. There is already a thread on this exact same topic in car chat and I'm moving your post there.

Thanks.

 

There is really no such thing as a blanket " Best " or " Worst " among nameplates when it comes to reliability any more. Most new vehicles nowadays, with a couple of exceptions, are reasonably reliable for at least the first few years. Mercedes and BMW 7-series rate quite poorly for electrical problems, even in the first few years. Land Rover products have always rated low, but even they, on an absolute scale, are more reliable than they used to be.

The old....and rapidly changing.......idea, while true for years, that Toyota / Lexus and Honda / Acura make the most reliable cars, still has some validity, but nowhere near as much in the past. Other manufacturers, and, especially, other specific vehicles among those manufacturers, have caught up, and a few recent Toyota and Honda products have shown a reliability drop, especially in the transmission department.

For instance, the Hyundai Sonata and Lexus IS300, a couple of years ago, were the two most reliable vehicles in CR's database. Both have been extensively redesigned since then, and are still a question mark today. Subaru, a couple of years ago, was the top-rated brand in average number of defects per vehicle.....Honda and Lexus were right behind. Infiniti had vehicles that ranged from some of the very BEST in reliability ( M35, 45 ) to the very WORST ( QX56 ).

If you look at the history or each nameplate, though, over the years, you will find, though, that as a group, Toyota / Lexus, Honda / Acura, and some Subarus have had consistantly the best records over time. Hyundai and Kia, in general, have shown the most improvement, and some of their vehicles now rank up with Toyota and Honda...others are still a little below average. Mercedes and VW, along with some BMW's, have shown the largest drop......Mercedes especially. Audi, as a nameplate has remained fairly consistant in the average-to-below-average category, despite its excellent fit-and-finish and stunning interiors.

 

A few issues with lists like this...

1) The 'categories' and entries in them are a joke. The Acura TSX and TL are upscale large cars? I don't think so. In the 'sport/sporty' cars the models are NOTHING alike: Lexus SC (v8), Toyota Camry Solara (4-cyl.), Subaru Impreza WRX (autocross rocket), Honda S2000 (screamer), Mitsubishi Eclipse* (cheap FWD small coupe), 2006 Mini Cooper hatchback (funky).

2) CR sees what they want to see and make the data prove it. Toyota and Honda definitely make very reliable vehicles OVERALL but they have issues sometimes with some vehicles like everyone else. While other brands may OVERALL have slightly higher numbers of problems or defects, how many owners are actually affected? For example, hypothetically if 1 in 100 Camry owners have a problem, and 2 in 100 Nissan Altima owners have a similar problem, it looks like Nissan is TWICE AS BAD as Toyota. Statistically you can say that, but 98 out of 100 Altima owners are fine so someone hearing Nissan is twice as bad in quality as Toyota will turn away from Nissan which is crazy because there's still only a 2% chance of having a problem. What for example really are the quantities of issues with VWs for example? They certainly seemed to be pummeled in those ratings but I know people with them who are perfectly happy. If people buy solely on these rankings they're really narrow-minded and missing out on a ton of great vehicles.

3) Looking at reliability of very basic cars should be completely different than looking at reliability of say an S-Class Mercedes. A basic car frankly has few things that can go wrong. An S-Class has a myriad of things. Now that's no excuse that an S-Class isn't perfect, but what I'm saying is high end cars carry a lot of risk with so many features and interacting systems and software. If someone in an S-Class says their motorized head rest doesn't move properly, and that then knocks the S-Class down a rating position, is it really a big deal? It will be to someone just looking at the positions and not the details.

The Japanese have a large and justified advantage here though their amazing knowledge learned in consumer electronics, of making Walkmans, TVs, DVD players, and on and on, relatively easy to use and perfectly reliable. The German manufacturers on the other hand, SUCK at software, focusing more on mechanical things than proper testing of the network of interacting systems.

4) Last, CR loves boring reliable 'sensible' appliance-like cars. Well, they can keep them!

 

75%+ of mercedes entire lineup is in there

 

They apparently don't rate transmissions. The ES350 was in there, as was the TL. Both have histories (TL has a vibrant history) of automatic transmission issues.

I agree with you on this point, but the problem is the German manufacturers consistantly try to make their mechanical things electronically controlled. The brake-by-wire system is notorious for common failure on the Mercedes vehicles, for example.

 

Yep.....that POS electro-hydraulic Mercedes brake system is such a joke that they are actually refitting some cars, at factory expense, with conventional hydraulic systems. I have read some about it but don't know all the details.

 

I just saw a flat-bedded 2006 S class the other day. I don't
think it was a "minor" glitch. As long as MB's quality continues
to suck, I am avoiding it like the plague. Paying 100K for
a car that will leave you stranded is truly disconcerting.

I would love to get a CLS, but its quality issues prevent me
from seriously considering it.

 

Maybe it was repossessed.