Posted on: Thursday, March 15, 2001
Report says U.S. automakers improved reliability
Associated Press
DETROIT — U.S. automakers have closed on their foreign rivals in making reliable vehicles during the past two decades but still lag in overall dependability, according to a Consumer Reports magazine survey.
As part of its annual auto issue, due out on newsstands Tuesday, the magazine based its "reliability histories" of 216 makes and models from 1980 to 2000 on 2.5 million responses from its readers.
The survey found that problems were reported in 20 of every 100 new vehicles in 2000, a 77 percent improvement from the average trouble rate of 88 problems for every 100 new vehicles in 1980.
Among domestic automakers, General Motors Corp. went from 108 reported problems per 100 vehicles in 1980 to just 24 last year. Ford Motor Co.'s rate improved from 107 to 21, DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler arm from 91 to 23.
Still, the report said, vehicles with Japanese nameplates remain the most reliable.
Among cars and minivans, Consumer Reports said, problem rates for Japanese-made cars and minivans dropped from an average of 34 per 100 vehicles in 1980 to just 11 last year, with Nissan, Honda and Subaru leading the way. American automakers improved most in those segments, from 105 reported problems in 1980 to only 23 last year.
On the reliability front, the magazine said, vehicles by Toyota, Honda and Nissan and Subaru were among the most dependable for 2000. The least reliable, the magazine said: Ford's Lincoln and Jaguar cars, GM's Chevrolet and GMC models, and Chrysler's Jeeps.
