COSTA MESA, Calif. — Lexus and Porsche landed at the top of the list in J.D. Power's 2017 edition of its annual Vehicle Dependability Study. The study is based on a survey of original owners of vehicles built in 2014 and ranks manufacturers by problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100).
The two luxury carmakers earned their rankings by registering the lowest scores. But Dave Sargent, the company's vice president of global automotive, said mass-market brands had a good showing as well.
“We find buyers are increasingly avoiding models with poor reputations for dependability, so manufacturers can’t afford to let quality slip, particularly on their best sellers,” Sargent said. “While many expensive and niche vehicles do have excellent quality, the fact is that most consumers are shopping in the high-volume mainstream segments. The good news is that consumers don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a very dependable vehicle.”
Lexus topped J.D. Power’s nameplate rankings for the sixth consecutive year, earning a score of 100 PP100 and tying Porsche for the No. 1 spot. Here are other highlights from the study:
Toyota moved from No. 3 to No. 2 with a score of 123 PP100 and earned 10 of 18 segment awards.
Buick (126 PP100) took the No. 3 spot, followed by Mercedes-Benz (131 PP100).
Hyundai (133 PP100) shaved 25 points off last year’s score and jumped up to No. 6 in the rankings.
Dodge, Ford and Land Rover each improved their scores by at least 20 PP100.
To read the complete results of the study, including individual vehicle rankings and further analysis, click here.
