Porsche claims top honours in Vehicle Dependability Study

The image of Toyota and Honda may have taken a beating in the wake of the massive recalls issued by the two companies (particularly the former), but they have at least some reason to cheer following the latest results of the JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study conducted in the US.

Toyota and Honda placed sixth and seventh respectively in the rankings of the study, which essentially measures how well vehicles hold up after three years of ownership.

The study assigns each vehicle a score based on the average number of problems per 100 vehicles -- so obviously the lower the score, the better.

Porsche topped the rankings with a score of 110, followed by Lincoln (114), Buick (115), Lexus (115), Mercury (121), Toyota (128), Honda (132), Ford (141), Mercedes-Benz (142) and Acura (143).

According to the study, 25 of 36 vehicle brands have improved in long-term dependability in 2010, compared with their performance in 2009, continuing a steady trend of industry-wide improvement. 

Toyota snared four segment awards -- more than any other nameplate in 2010 -- for the Highlander, Prius, Sequoia and Tundra.

Meanwhile, Honda bagged three segment awards for the CR-V, Fit and Ridgeline, while Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz and Mercury claimed one segment award each.

The study's findings revealed overall vehicle dependability has improved by 7 per cent in 2010 to an average of 155 problems per 100 vehicles, compared with 167 PP100 in 2009.

In addition to the improvement in overall dependability, the rate of component replacement has also been reduced from 2009. Approximately 65 per cent of owners said they replaced a vehicle component in 2010, compared with 68 per cent in 2009.

However, the study also found that there is often a disparity between a brand's actual quality and public perception of it.

"Producing vehicles with world-class quality is just part of the battle for automakers; convincing consumers to believe in their quality is equally as important," said David Sargent, vice president of global vehicle research at J.D. Power and Associates.

"It takes considerable time to positively change consumer perceptions of quality and dependability -- sometimes a decade or more -- so it is vital for manufacturers to continually improve quality and also to convince consumers of these gains."

The study also revealed that long-term dependability has a significant positive effect on repurchase intent.

Among owners who said they did not experience problems with their vehicle, 43 per cent indicated they "definitely will" repurchase their current brand. This figure declined to 28 per cent among owners who said they experienced at least one problem with their vehicle.

2010 Vehicle Dependability Study
The 2010 Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from more than 52,000 original owners of 2007 model-year vehicles. The study was fielded between October and December 2009.

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