J.D. Powers survey ranks dependability of vehicle brands

The Chevrolet Cavalier was ranked as average in most categories.

STAFF/WIRE REPORT

DETROIT — Buick tied with Lexus as the highest-ranking brand in a closely watched study of vehicle dependability, marking the first time in 12 years that Lexus has shared the top award, J.D. Power and Associates said Thursday.

Cadillac, Mercury and Honda rounded out the top five brands in the annual survey, which measures problems experienced by the original owners of three-year-old vehicles. Both Buick and Lexus had 145 problems per 100 vehicles. The worst-performing brand, Land Rover, had 398 problems. The industry average was 216 problems, down from 227 in last year’s survey.

“People don’t have to necessarily spend premium money to get equal value,” said Neal Oddes, director of product research and analysis for J.D. Power. “That’s good news for people.”

The 2007 survey is based on the responses of 53,000 owners of 2004 model year vehicles. The survey gives all problems equal weight.

Honda and Chevy

In the compact segment, the top model was the Honda Civic. Others in the category were given ratings in four categories but were not given an overall ranking.

The Chevrolet Cavalier, which was made at GM’s Lordstown complex until 2004, received average ratings in overall dependability, body and interior dependability, and features and accessories dependability. It was ranked “better than most” in powertrain dependability.

The Cobalt, which replaced the Cavalier and went into production in October 2004, was not listed.

Oddes said the most frequent problem cited is wind noise, followed by noisy brakes, seat belts that fail to retract, poor ride handling and uneven wear on tires. Oddes said complaints about seats and interiors rose slightly this time around, but in most categories, complaints were down.

Segment breakdowns

In segment breakdowns, Lexus had five winners, including the midsize GS 300 and LS 430 sedan, while Toyota had four, including the Tundra and Tacoma pickups. The most-improved brand in the 2007 survey was Hummer, which improved its score to 242 problems per 100 vehicles from 307 last year. The most-improved vehicles were the Volvo XC90 and Audi A6, which both eliminated 104 problems, Oddes said.

The survey found that 65 percent of owners experienced one or more problems that required components to be replaced. Oddes said owners understand that some parts, such as brake pads, need to be replaced, but if they have to replace expensive items such as transmissions or if they have to replace smaller parts more often than they expect, they will keep their vehicle an average of one year less and will be less likely to consider that brand in the future.

Oddes said vehicles with strong dependability numbers can retain up to 15 percent more of their value over three years. That helps consumers selling used vehicles as well as automakers and dealers, which may be able to sell a dependable vehicle two or three times over its lifetime.