Lexus Maintains Its Stellar Reputation For Reliability

Dominant Dependability

One of the biggest benefits of owning a Lexus is knowing that it is truly capable of going the distance. The automaker has long topped pretty much every dependability and reliability test on the planet, and that includes J.D. Power's U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, which it has basically dominated for years now.

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All-Time High

This year's J.D. Power study found that dependability overall is at an all-time high, with owner-reported problems dipping by 10 percent from last year. The study, now in its 32nd year, measures the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) experienced during the past 12 months by the original owners of three-year-old vehicles. A lower score reflects higher dependability, and the study covers 177 specific problems grouped into eight major vehicle categories.

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Top Spot

This year's industry average reached a best-ever 121 PP100, while Lexus ranked the highest in overall vehicle dependability overall with a stellar score of 81 PP100. This marks the ninth time in ten years Lexus has taken the top spot and was followed by Porsche, which finished with a score of 86 PP100.

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Other Honors

Lexus also unsurprisingly finished as the top luxury brand in the dependability study and had a couple of individual models land on J.D. Power's Most Dependable Model List. They include the ES, which took top honors in the Compact Premium Car segment, the NX with a second-place finish in the Compact Premium SUV segment, and the RX, which finished third in the Midsize Premium SUV segment.

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More Reliable Than Ever

"Today's three-year-old vehicles are of higher quality and more dependable than in previous years," said Dave Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power. "Most owners aren't experiencing their vehicles breaking down or falling apart but, for many, vehicle technology continues to function poorly or inconsistently. If an owner can’t rely on a system to work as they expect, it is also considered a lack of dependability. It affects their overall view of the vehicle and their likelihood of staying loyal to their automaker. In the future, dependability will partially be determined by the ability to solve problems through vehicle updates and the avoidance of technology obsolescence."

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Ranked By Type

Interestingly, cars led the way among all automotive segments, scoring a 111 PP100 versus 122 PP100 for SUVs and 130 PP100 for trucks. Trucks and SUVs account for nearly 80 percent of retail sales, however, which obviously makes this a concern for automakers.

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Staying Alive

The biggest headache owners face concerns technology features, as has long been the case. However, it seems that fewer Lexus owners have issues with their cars than any other brand, and given its stellar track record over the last decade-plus, that trend doesn't seem likely to end anytime soon.

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