J.D. Power reports vehicle dependability has substantially improved

Jeff Sabatini — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 14:31:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Buick, Cadillac, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Lexus, Lincoln, Porsche, Scion, Toyota

Remember the days of planned obsolescence? They're over. The latest J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study shows a 13-percent improvement in new car dependability over the first three years of ownership. The latest sample of 2009 model year vehicles shows the lowest rate of problems since the study's inception in 1990.

The big winner was the Lexus LS, which had the fewest reported problems in the study. Lexus was the highest rated brand as well, followed by Porsche, Cadillac, Toyota and Scion. J.D. Power says 25 of 32 automotive brands showed improved dependability, with six declining and one remaining the same.

While J.D. Power was pleased to see automakers producing high quality cars despite the economic disaster unfolding around them three years ago, it did note that some brands are still not getting credit for building reliable vehicles. "During the past four years, models from Buick, Cadillac, Ford, Hyundai and Lincoln have achieved consistently strong levels of dependability," the company's release stated, "but still have relatively high proportions of new-vehicle buyers expressing reliability concerns."

To read the full press release, click past the jump.

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Buick, Jaguar knock Lexus from top of J.D. Power 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study

Michael Harley — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:00:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Buick, Jaguar, Lexus

Click above for results of 2009 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study

J.D. Power and Associates has just released its 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study... and it is a bombshell. For the past 14 years, including the most recent 2008 Vehicle Dependability Study, Lexus has sat at the top of the chart. In a significant upset this year, Buick and Jaguar have tied for top ranking (with just 122 problems per 100 vehicles) dropping the premium automaker Lexus (126 PP100) down to third place. The top five are rounded out by Toyota (129 PP100) and Mercury (134 PP100).

The Vehicle Dependability Study is designed to accurately measure problems experienced by original owners of three-year-old (2006 model year) vehicles. J.D. Power based this year's results on responses from more than 46,000 original owners of 2006 model-year vehicles. For 2009, the study has also been redesigned to include 202 different problem symptoms across all areas of the vehicle. Scores are based on the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with lower scores reflecting higher vehicle quality. The complete J.D. Power press release and charts can be found after the jump and in the gallery below.

Gallery: 2009 JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study

[Source: J.D. Power and Associates]

Continue reading Buick, Jaguar knock Lexus from top of J.D. Power 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study

Buick, Jaguar knock Lexus from top of J.D. Power 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Mar 2009 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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