Lexus, Porsche Top J.D. Power Dependability Ratings

Lexus and Porsche have tied as the U.S. market’s most reliable car brands in this year’s J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study. Lexus has topped the ratings for the past six years.

Both brands had 110 problems per 100 vehicles, according to Power’s survey of owners of 2014 models. The industry average this year grew to 156 problems per 100 vehicles, up from 151 in 2016 because of increasing complaints about tech features.

The three worst-ranked brands for 2017 are Infiniti (203 problems), Jeep (209) and Fiat (298). Power notes that good ratings aren’t limited to expensive luxury brands, with Buick, Chevrolet, Honda, Hyundai and Toyota among the top 10.

Among specific models, this year’s most reliable vehicles by are:

CARS

• Chevrolet Sonic (small)
• Toyota Prius (compact)
• Lexus ES (compact premium)
• Toyota Camry (midsize)
• Chevy Camaro (midsize sporty)
• Lexus GS (midsize premium)
• Toyota Avalon (large)

SUV/CROSSOVERS

• Volkswagen Tiguan (small)
• Toyota FJ Cruiser (compact)
• Mercedes-Benz GLK-class (compact premium)
• Toyota Venza (midsize)
• Lexus RX (midsize premium)
• Chevrolet Tahoe (large)

MPV/MINIVANS/PICKUP TRUCKS

• Toyota Prius v (compact MPV)
• Toyota Sienna (minivan)
• Nissan Frontier (midsize)
• Ford F-150 (large light-duty)
• Chevrolet Silverado HD (large heavy-duty)

Power says more than one in five technology-related problems reported by owners relate to audio, communications, entertainment and navigation features. Most of those complaints involve difficulties with voice recognition and Bluetooth pairing.

New to the top-10 problem list this year is battery failure, Power notes. Only 6% of owners reported the issue, but that’s up 44% from last year’s survey.