Lexus Tops J.D. Power Reliability Ratings Again

Toyota Motor Corp.’s Lexus luxury brand ranks best for the fifth consecutive year in the J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study.

The report ranks nameplates according to the number of owner-reported problems per 100 vehicles for three-year-old models. Power notes that owners who report a usability problem in the first 90 days of ownership are still annoyed by the issue after three years.

Audi—which outscored Lexus to top Consumer Reports’ reliability ratings earlier this week—ranks only 11th in the Power study. The two organizations use different criteria.

The five best-scoring brands in the Power report are Lexus (95 problems per 100 vehicles), Porsche (97) Buick (106), Toyota (113) and GMC (120). The worst-scoring brands are Jeep (181), Land Rover (198), Smart (199), Ford (204) and Dodge (208).

General Motors Co. models topped eight of the study’s 19 market segments, including three wins for Buick models. The company’s Buick Verano compact sedan was the highest-ranked model for all car and truck categories.

The industry average in this year’s study is 152 problems per 100 vehicles, five more than in 2015. Power blames the decline on growing owner struggles with tech features. The top complaints are inaccurate voice recognition systems and poor Bluetooth connectivity between their phones and vehicle.

Difficulties with audio, communication, entertainment and navigation systems now generate about 20% of all problems reported, according to the researchers.

Power draws a direct connection between owner loyalty and the number of complaints reported. The report says 55% of those who encountered no problems with a vehicle buy the same brand again. The ratio drops to 41% for customers who report at least three problems with their vehicles.

The Power researchers opine that issues with today’s electronic convenience features make consumers less likely to trust tomorrow’s more critical self-driving systems.