Our post from yesterday, the 10 Most Unreliable Car Brands got a mixed reaction. Some people agreed with the list wholeheartedly, saying that their personal and professional experiences reinforced what the list said, while others were angry and disagreed. Most notably, the dissenters indicated that car brands were missing that in their opinion should have been on the list, with recall-ridden GM brought up by multiple readers.
It's important to note that world-famous Consumer Reports came up with the reliability list based on their product testers as well as a survey of readers providing information on over a million individual cars. While their assessment isn't the end-all, and not the only industry rankings, they do have a reputation for being an unbiased source, and derive their revenue not from corporate advertising, but from consumer subscriptions. All in all, they have developed a reputation from decades of providing the most accurate information they are capable of, which is more than can be said for many other sources that rely on revenues from the very companies that are being assessed.
So in order to continue the discussion, we are providing the second half of the equation, with the 10 Most Reliable Car Brands according to Consumer Reports:
1) Lexus
2) Toyota
3) Acura
4) Audi
5) Mazda
6) Infiniti
7) Volvo
8) Honda
9) GMC
10) Subaru
Factors that indicate vehicle reliability are assessed based on the following trouble areas, as reported by consumers in a questionnaire sent out to over 8 million subscribers:
- ENGINE MAJOR
- ENGINE MINOR
- ENGINE COOLING
- TRANSMISSION (AND CLUTCH) MAJOR
- TRANSMISSION (AND CLUTCH) MINOR
- DRIVE SYSTEM
- FUEL SYSTEM
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- CLIMATE SYSTEM
- SUSPENSION/STEERING
- BRAKES
- EXHAUST
- PAINT/RUST/TRIM
- BODY INTEGRITY
- BODY HARDWARE
- POWER EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES
- AUDIO SYSTEM
If you're experiencing a vehicle problem, or just want more information on your car's potential issues, check out Mechanic Advisor's Vehicle Problems Section to get more information about your car's problem history.
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