Toyota Motor Corp.¡¯s Lexus and Toyota brands held their lead atop Consumer Reports¡¯ annual reliability rankings, while General Motors Co.¡¯s 117-year-old line became the first from the U.S. to win one of the list¡¯s top three places.
The survey, a buying Bible to car shoppers that has been dominated by Japanese automakers, has more international representation this year. As other automakers catch up with Japan¡¯s manufacturers, both Subaru and Honda tumbled from the top group of ¡°more reliable¡± brands, with Honda¡¯s Civic compact car losing its long-standing recommendation from Consumer Reports.
Besides GM¡¯s Buick, Volkswagen AG¡¯s Audi luxury line ranked fourth and Kia Motors Corp.¡¯s namesake brand came in fifth. Sedans, selling poorly amid low fuel prices, scored best, while hot-selling SUVs are among the most error-prone models because of their complexity. Dashboard infotainment systems and fuel-saving multispeed transmissions caused the most trouble.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.