Buick, Lexus top J.D. Power dependability study
This is Lexus' seventh year in a row at the top of the rankings.
The auto industry as a whole has improved its dependability for the first time in half a decade, according to a new study from J.D. Power, otherwise known as "the name you hear all the time in car commercials."
J.D. Power released its 2018 US Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) today. This year, the study asked 36,896 original owners of 2015 model year vehicles how well their vehicles have held up over the last three years of ownership. The study's score reflects the average number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles -- it tracks 177 different problems across eight major categories.
Here's the full results of this year's VDS. Poor Chrysler.
Lexus took top VDS honors for the seventh year in a row with a score of 99 problems per 100 vehicles. Porsche is hot on its heels, though, with a score of 100. The best mass market performer is Buick , with a commendable score of 116. The industry average is 142, improving 14 points over last year and representing the first year-over-year improvement since 2013.
The study also breaks it down by segment. When measured that way, Toyota and Lexus walk away with six of the 19 individual segment awards, more than any other automaker. GM was close behind with five segment awards.
Fiat Chrysler , on the other hand, remains on the low end of the rankings. Chrysler was the lowest-ranked automaker with a score of 211, followed by Land Rover and Fiat. Fiat's score of 192 represents a 106-point (!) improvement over last year, the best of any automaker. Dodge had its best year ever, as well. In a statement, Fiat Chrysler attributed Chrysler's bottom-of-the-barrel ranking to the 200 sedan, which was still in production in 2015 but has since been discontinued.
Infiniti also deserves some props for moving from 29th to 4th place, the largest improvement (in rank) of the year. If you're interested in seeing the individual segment winners, check out the gallery below.
