UPDATE: Read Toyota's response to Consumer Reports here.
So you thought Consumer Reports was biased in favor of imports, did you? Tuesday's release of CR's 2007 Annual Car Reliability Survey suggests otherwise, as the Toyota Camry V6, Tundra V8 4WD and Lexus GS AWD were all bumped from the magazine's vaunted "Recommended" list for receiving below average ratings. This news also has farther reaching effects, as CR will no longer recommend new or redesigned Toyotas based solely on the automaker's past reliability, a practice for which we dinged them back in August.
Meanwhile, Ford did very well in the new survey, with 41 out of 44 of its products scoring average or better in predicted reliability. Plus, the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Ford F-150 V6 2WD were three of the only four domestic models that earned the label of "Most Reliable".
Follow the jump to find out which other brands made quality gains in the eyes of CR subscribers.
[Source: Consumer Reports]
Overall, however, Consumer Reports states on its blog that U.S. automakers still have a way to go, with 20 out of 44 models on the "Least Reliable" list belonging to domestic automakers. The European brands including Audi, BMW, Volvo, Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, are seeing improvements with specific models like the Audi A3, A4 and A6; BMW 3-, 5- and 7-Series, the Volvo S60 and Porsche 911 all earning above average ratings.
Love 'em or hate 'em, disagree with their testing and survey practices or not, but there's no denying that Consumer Reports holds a lot of sway with potential car buyers. Tuesday's news will surely be felt by Toyota at some level. The company has long enjoyed an unquestioned reign of superior quality that may be coming to an end soon.
For more results from CR's survey, click the Read link below, but for the full results you'll need to be a subscriber.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 12)
Ryan @ Oct 16th 2007 1:31PM
I always said Mercury's and Ford's were Awesome and Reliable automobiles!!!!!
LeRobert @ Oct 16th 2007 1:33PM
You are deluded, sir.
Ryan @ Oct 16th 2007 1:35PM
Well I appreciate that.
Mondo @ Oct 16th 2007 1:36PM
You're joking right? RIGHT??
If not I have a '99 Escort ZX2 that would like to speak with you but you'll have to come to her gravesite since she died years ago.
3cubed minus 3squared plus1 @ Oct 16th 2007 1:39PM
I'll stand by you Ryan. 4 Fords with over 100K miles and no mechanical problems, I'd have to agree with you.
Just some of the fit and finish needs work.
Strongbadinator @ Oct 16th 2007 4:21PM
Wow a WHOLE 100 thousand miles! Golly gee, that sure is a lot of miles. You should talk to my 89 honda with 257,000 miles original engine transmission with no problems whatsoever. Or my 192,000 mile subaru.
>rolls eyes<
Even rental cars can hit 100k miles.
Elliott @ Oct 16th 2007 3:11PM
If you replace "I always said" with, "I've been saying for the last 18 months", then I'll agree with Ryan.
Azrael4h @ Oct 16th 2007 7:49PM
I'll answer the Honda with my grandfather's old '92 Ford Ranger, which he sold with 270,000 on the clock. I'd have to ask my cousin, who bought it, how many miles it currently has on it.
I'll raise you with my brother's last Ranger, a '96 which had 290,000+ when he got it (ok, he got it in payment for some work he did). He only kept it a while, but since his Nissan is a POS, the Ranger ended up absorbing more miles during the brief time he owned it than he was willing to trust the Nissan to. Only issues were with the tires, which he never could find a decent tire at a junk yard and thus generally had to deal with repeat flats.
All that, and I hate Fords. I'm getting nicer in my old age.
Judy Zik @ Oct 16th 2007 7:16PM
1998 Ford Windstar in the family with over 300,000kms on original engine, transmission, paint and even a/c. Driven through 10 Canadian winters and never been stuck on the side of the road. My sister still has a 1996 Escort with original engine, transmission. Not bad considering they were made before Ford really stepped up the quality. The older Fords didn't drive as nice or have the same fit and finish. Now they are getting the whole package together. I would buy a 2008 Ford.
3cubed minus 3squared plus1 @ Oct 16th 2007 9:37PM
The only reason I said 100K is because the Focus is still a young vehicle.
a 96 escort with 187K and a f150 with 240K are part of those 4.
congrats on the burban and honda though.
fish @ Oct 20th 2007 8:23PM
I work in a garage and we have replaced well over 100 ford ball joints this year, about half that on GM`s and none on toyotas, none on nissians and 1 on a honda. If you own a ford please have your front end checked.
Albert @ Oct 20th 2007 10:00PM
I agree with you Ryan as I have a 1993 Tempo, 4 door GL with all the bells and whistles. It now has 214,00 miles on it. The car still drives and runs like it did when I bought it in 1994. I also have a 1993 Ford Ranger Splash with over 200,000 miles on it and it runs great.
Albert @ Oct 20th 2007 9:57PM
I agree with you Ryan as I have a 1993 Tempo, 4 door GL with all the bells and whistles. It now has 214,00 miles on it. The car still drives and runs like it did when I bought it in 1994. I also have a 1993 Ford Ranger Splash with over 200,000 miles on it and it runs great.
v-man mopar nut @ Oct 21st 2007 3:01AM
The lesser ratings on Toyota products apply only to those built in the USA...!
Darn NAFTA...
Tony @ Oct 21st 2007 3:22AM
You got to be kidding me . Ford and Mercury are not good cars .
Toyota, Honda and Nissan make the best cars .
Foreign cars last a lifetime .
American cars barely get to a 100,000 miles before breaking down completely.
TriShield @ Oct 16th 2007 1:33PM
No surprises here. It's no secret Toyota's quality has been suffering lately as the company has grown by leaps and bounds. Toyota may find that being number one isn't all it's cracked up to be.
As for CU, I've always valued their automotive reviews and reliability studies even if I didn't necessarily agree with them. They rate cars from the perspective of most American buyers, practicality, comfort and reliability from point A to B in daily use. It's good for most people to know what models excel and what models do not. Even if that prompts knee-jerk hatred from enthusiasts or brand fanboys.
PJ @ Oct 16th 2007 2:32PM
+1
Toyota has been rapidly expanding their brand(s) while maintaining relatively short product cycles. It's a surefire recipe for cut corners.
That said, the combination of design modernity, good resale value, and average reliability still puts Toyota in a better boat than some automakers.
FLR @ Oct 16th 2007 1:35PM
Wow!
izzy @ Oct 16th 2007 1:37PM
So Toyota is not only replacing GM as the #1 automaker, but in making crappy cars as well. I'm not that surprized. I had a Scion tC that rattled like a tin full of screws. I took it in to get it fixed numerous times and the Toyota service department basically left the roof liner sagging and unglued. You should have seen how many pieces inside that car was put together with double stick tape!
Alex B @ Oct 16th 2007 3:11PM
Agree on tC interior quality issues. My tC has 20K miles. It runs fine, but I've had it at the dealer 3 times to fix interior issues (mostly rattles, but also bubbles under the mousefur on the a-pillars). Interior materials and surfaces look OK but are waay cheap - easy to scratch and scuff, and the seat fabric is already starting to pill.