- In a major coup, Lincoln has toppled such rivals as Lexus and Porsche in the latest J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study.
- Lincoln was followed by Lexus, Jaguar, Porsche, Toyota, Acura, Buick, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac and Hyundai in the rankings.
- Mini was at the bottom of the heap this year in the highly regarded study. Land Rover came in last in 2010.
- The Porsche 911 has the fewest problems in the industry, the study noted.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, California — In a stunning victory for Detroit, Lincoln for the first time has toppled such rivals as Lexus and Porsche in the latest J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study. Porsche led the industry last year with the most reliable vehicles, the study said.
Lincoln was followed by Lexus, Jaguar, Porsche, Toyota, Acura, Buick, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac and Hyundai in the 2011 reliability rankings.
Mini was at the bottom of the heap in this year's study. Land Rover came in last in 2010.
Power reported that the Porsche 911 has the fewest problems in the industry.
The study noted that overall vehicle dependability continues to improve, although automakers "are experiencing some challenges in overcoming problems with newer technologies and features." These include "audio, entertainment and navigation systems and new safety features, such as tire-pressure monitoring systems."
Toyota was praised for performing well in the study, with seven of its models earning segment awards. They include the Lexus RX, Scion xB, Toyota 4Runner, Prius, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra.
Ford received four segment awards for the Ford Fusion, Mustang, Lincoln MKZ and Navigator.
"While domestic brands have closed the gap in initial quality with import brands, there is still a considerable difference between the two in vehicle dependability, with import brands outperforming domestic brands in 2011," the study said.
The study is based on responses from more than 43,700 original owners of 2008 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership.
Inside Line says: The champagne corks are popping at Lincoln, but as the study implies, no automaker can afford to rest on its laurels in this competitive atmosphere. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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arthorwright says:
05:18 PM, 04/04/2011
I just cannot help but laugh a little when I read that J.D. Power has had another epiphany that Lincoln is more dependable than Lexus and Porsche. Lincolns are not more dependable than Lexus, period; unless there is a definition of "dependability" that does not mean long term reliability in the real world of thinking consumers. And Porsche consumers are probably more concerned with performance data than comparison of Porsche and Lincoln dependability data.
jmm_101r says:
05:11 PM, 03/19/2011
blackdynamite0:
LINCOLNS ARE NOT LAME.. THEY JUST DONT HAVE WHAT IT TAKES YET TO COMPETE WIT THE BEST. LINCOLN LIKE CADILLAC&CHRYSLER ARE GOIN THRU HARD TIMES. IVE SEEN THESE NEW LINCOLNS WHEN IT COMES TO PLASTIC,LEATHER & OVERALL MATERIALS THE WAY THEY ARE BUILD. WAY BETTER THAN ANY OTHER AMERICAN UPSCALE MANUFACTURE(CHRYSLER,CADILLAC).
THAT SHOWS THAT THEY ARE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.& LIKE I SAID BEFORE.. THEY STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO. IF THEY WANT TO COMPETE WIT BMW,BENZ& AUDI. CUSE' OBVIOUSLY THATS LINCOLNS MAIN OBJECTIVE.
tbone85 says:
05:32 PM, 03/18/2011
I have no issue with COHERENT criticism of Powers or CR's methodology--as long as the criticism remains consistent when the marques at the top change. Far too often the criticism of the methodology seems to be generated by the findings in these studies.
They both provide information that can be used as an input, but I wouldn't view either one as a bible in making a car decision. Considering the relatively small spread between the vehicles on the list, I'd certainly weight personal evaluation of these vehicles as a far stronger factor.
lions208487 says:
12:22 PM, 03/18/2011
The interesting thing is these vehicles by Ford/Lincoln were before engine/transmission and interior/exterior redesigns the last two model years. So in 2013 when the deliver feedback on 2010/11 models with newer engines and transmissions that GM and Ford have put out, the domestic brands should favor even better. Caddie's CTS is basically unchanged since 2008, so that one is pretty spot on. It's even better for Ford, because the 3.7 Liter and 5.0 Liter, and even the Eco 3.5 Turbo have not been available until late 2009. Should be interesting next year. This review is like a basketball draft with average talent and no Blake Griffin or LeBron James type players to select from.
qdp says:
11:27 AM, 03/18/2011
In my view, J.D. Power's report or rating are usually doped with crap. This seems J.D. Power's way of doing business, compared to CR's
mercedesfan says:
10:33 AM, 03/18/2011
Really an interesting study. I'm a little surprised Toyota did as well as it did, but crappy interiors or not they still do built cars that last forever. Also, I'm glad to see MB finally broke into the top 10 again. They still definitely make some so-so vehicles (mostly their SUVs), but their sedans have really upped their game and I'm glad to see JD Power and CR recognize that.
@tonkatoytruck,
JD Power does multiple different studies on cars. The survey you got was the APPEAL survey. It is sent out to people who have just purchased a car and asks them to rank it based on design, performance, luxury, etc. It is really a survey to see how attracted buyers are to different cars.
90 days after that, they send out their Initial Quality Survey which asks you rate the first 90 days of ownership of your new vehicle. It tells you to mark any quality issues your vehicle has had as well as any design flaws you see in the car.
Finally, 3 years after your purchase they send out the Vehicle Dependability Survey which asks you to list all the problems your vehicle has had in its 3rd year of ownership. This is purely a reliability survey and does not take into account things like gas mileage, etc (which the IQS does).
@lostboyz,
This is the 2011 Dependability study because it is the year 2011. It rates MY2008 vehicles.
tonkatoytruck says:
06:44 AM, 03/18/2011
The JD Powers study has no basis in reality and does not reflect true dependability of vehicles in the real world. I was sent a questionairre 3 weeks after I bought my car. How is that supposed to reflect three years of service?
I agree with darknick and blueguydotcom, this list has no basis in reality.
lostboyz says:
06:34 AM, 03/18/2011
link to the press release:http://businesscenter.jdpower.com/news/pressrelease.aspx?ID=2011029
to the list: http://www.jdpower.com/autos/ratings/dependability-ratings-by-brand/sortcolumn-0/ascending/page-/
How exactly can you do a 3 year study on 2011 model year dependability now? I thought this was their intial quality 90 day study.
lostboyz says:
06:05 AM, 03/18/2011
I lol'd at mini coming in last, but coming in first in a customer service study. They have a lot of problem, but at least the service staff is nice when you need them fixed.
Why no link to the list?
blackdynamite0 says:
04:58 AM, 03/18/2011
dgmail
You obviously don't know how these rating work, or what a recall is
This is a study on reported problems with the vehicle, actual malfunctions, after 3 years of owner service
A recall is the replacement or service of a part that COULD malfunction, based on internal review.
Toyota's recall issue probably won't be reflected here, because 99% of people with affected Toyota vehicles haven't had an issue with acceleration problems. The recall is to prevent an issue occurring.
You need to have a problem before reporting it here.
BD