For the first time in a quarter century, US carmakers can say they make more reliable cars than their competitors in Europe though Asian manufacturers still hold top “bragging rights”, as they say in the States.
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The consumer survey in Consumer Reports’ 2004 ‘auto’ issue, published on Tuesday, showed import [brands] still outscoring domestically built cars in owner satisfaction, Associated Press (AP) said.
But on the issue of reliability, cars and trucks from General Motors, Ford and Chrysler topped those made in Europe – something that hasn’t happened in 25 years, the publication reportedly said.
“To our subscribers and to many people, reliability is what they’re looking for,” senior director of Consumer Reports’ auto test staff, David Champion, told AP, adding: “The domestics are making tremendous progress in putting to bed a lot of the problems they were stuck with.”
AP said Consumer Reports, known for its scrutiny of products, sent questionnaires to 4.1 million subscribers of its magazine and website, seeking insight on vehicles they own.
Reliability trends are based on 675,000 responses, AP noted, and Consumer Reports asked subscribers to report problems in any of 14 areas, such as engine or electrical trouble, for vehicles up to eight years old.
For the 2003 model year, the industry average was 17 problems per 100 vehicles, down from 18 in the 2002 survey, Associated Press said.
The survey reportedly revealed that among cars and trucks less than a year old, the average problem rate for European brands was 20 per 100 vehicles – two more than domestic brands.
AP noted that, last year, US and European carmakers were tied at 21 problems per 100 vehicles less than a year old.
The problem rate for the newest models from Japanese and Korean carmakers held steady year-over-year at 12 per 100 vehicles, Associated Press said, adding that the magazine reported vehicles from Acura, Honda, Infiniti, Lexus, Mazda and Toyota have been the most reliable over the past five years.
Among European brands, all models from Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Jaguar and Land Rover were rated below average in the survey, AP said.
In owner satisfaction, Asian and European brands reportedly filled all but three of 33 slots in Consumer Reports’ list of “most satisfying” vehicles – the list was based on responses from 226,000 subscribers.
According to AP, Consumer Reports said it also gave an “excellent” overall safety rating in the new issue to 21 sedans, up from nine three years ago, while the number of sport utility vehicles with an excellent rating rose to 11 from only two during the same period.
The magazine reportedly said the higher ratings are the result of general improvements in both crash-protection and accident-avoidance scores. AP noted that Consumer Reports combines crash-test results produced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety with its own performance ratings to form its assessment.
Associated Press also noted that Consumers Reports, published by Yonkers, New York state-based Consumers Union, buys all vehicles it tests and accepts no advertising.
