Japanese brands show 'nicks'

By Sharon Silke Carty, USA TODAY
DETROIT — Consumer Reports' annual reliability survey, released Wednesday, challenges the belief that Japanese cars are generally made better than domestic vehicles.

Vehicles that Nissan makes at its new plant in Mississippi — the Quest minivan, Armada SUV, Titan pickup and Infiniti QX56 SUV — are among the 48 least-reliable cars and trucks sold, the survey found. The redesigned Toyota Avalon was rated with average reliability, lower than any of Toyota's other cars. The Acura RL, made by Honda, and the Honda Odyssey were also rated average.

"One time you would consider buying a Japanese car because you'd get excellent reliability, but now you're starting to see some nicks in the armor," says David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports' auto test center.

Asian nameplates still dominated the most-reliable list. Of the 31 cars that earned a top reliability rating, 29 were Japanese and two were domestic models. No European cars earned a top ranking. Irv Miller, a spokesman for Toyota, says the automaker is actively addressing complaints from consumers about the Avalon. He predicts the car's rating will increase next year. Consumer Reports sent surveys last spring to its 6 million website and magazine subscribers. The results cover 1 million 1998 to 2005 model year vehicles, the most responses Consumer Reports has ever received. The annual reliability study is among the most significant factors affecting consumer preferences. "In certain segments, it can be argued that Consumer Reports is the most powerful influencer of consumers other than family and friends," says Eric Noble, president of marketing research firm The CarLab.

Other findings include:

• Lofty sticker prices don't always mean high quality. The list of least-reliable cars includes some of Europe's most expensive nameplates, such as the Audi A8, BMW 7 series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

For the second year in a row, no European automaker made it on the most-reliable car list.

• Only 3% of Toyota Prius owners reported problems with their cars.

By comparison, 67% of Infiniti QX56 owners had to go back to the dealership because of problems.

• While the quality gap between Asian and domestic carmakers is closing for new cars, Champion says as domestic cars age, the gap widens. After five years, domestic cars tend to have twice as many problems as Asian brands, Champion says.

• Hyundai has spotty reliability, with the Tucson SUV earning a poor reliability rating, while the Santa Fe SUV and Elantra sedan were rated average.


MOST-RELIABLE AUTOS
Consumer Reports' predictions for most-reliable 2006 models:
Small cars
Honda Civic
Toyota Prius
Honda Civic Hybrid
Toyota Corolla
Subaru Impreza
Sporty cars
Honda S2000
Mazda MX-5
Lexus SC 430
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Sedans
Lexus GS 300
Infiniti M35/M45
Lexus IS 300
Honda Accord Hybrid
Toyota Camry
Honda Accord (four-cylinder)
Lexus LS 430
Wagons
Toyota Matrix
Small SUVs
Toyota RAV4
Honda CR-V
Honda Element
Subaru Forester
Mercury Mariner
Mitsubishi Outlander
Midsize SUVs
Lexus RX 400h
Toyota Highlander
Toyota 4Runner
Infiniti FX35
Large SUVs
Toyota Land Cruiser
Pickups
Honda Ridgeline
Toyota Tundra
Source: Consumer Reports