The results   J.D. Power and Associates released its annual survey of vehicle dependability Wednesday, based on questionnaires sent to owners of 2002 model-year vehicles. The list ranks vehicle brands by the problems their owners reported per 100 vehicles.   Brand Problems per 100 vehicles   Lexus 139   Porsche 149   Lincoln 151   Buick 163   Cadillac 175   Infiniti 178   Toyota 194   Mercury 195   Honda 201   Acura 203   BMW 225   Ford 231   Chevrolet 232   Chrysler 235   Saturn 240   Oldsmobile 242   GMC 245   Pontiac 245   Mazda 252   Hyundai 260   Subaru 260   Volvo 266   Jaguar 268   Dodge 273   Nissan 275   Mitsubishi 278   Mercedes-Benz 283   Saab 286   Jeep 289   Suzuki 292   Audi 312   Daewoo 318   Isuzu 331   Volkswagen 335   Mini 383   Land Rover 395   Kia 397   INDUSTRY AVERAGE 237   Source: J.D. Power and Associates/ The Associated Press

General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. dominated an annual study of durability among 3-year-old cars and trucks, taking the top spot in a record 12 of 19 categories surveyed by J.D. Power & Associates. U.S. vehicles were the most reliable in categories including "entry midsize car" and "full-size sport-utility vehicle," and cut customer complaints an average 13 percent in 2005, the firm said Wednesday. Last year, U.S. makers topped seven of 17 segments studied. Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus luxury brand was the most reliable overall for the 11th straight year in 2005. "There have been some significant strides for the domestic automakers - they're not just talking about quality," said Jim Sanfilippo, executive vice president of Automotive Marketing Consultants Inc. in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "This is going to take a big bite out of the perception of a quality gap with Asian brands." GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler have spent billions of dollars in the last several years to improve factories and produce vehicles with fewer defects as Toyota and other foreign brands captured higher U.S. market share. In 2000, foreign models captured 12 of 13 segments studied. The 13 percent decline in complaints among U.S. brands this year outpaced the 11.9 percent improvement for the industry and 12.1 percent gain for Asian brands. The number of complaints per 100 vehicles sold in the United States fell to an average 237, the firm said. Lexus had the fewest problems at 139 per 100 vehicles. Porsche AG finished second at 149, a 38 percent reduction from a year earlier. Hyundai Motor Co., at 260, had a 31 percent decline. GM and Ford, the two biggest U.S. automakers, each had three brands better than the industrywide average while DaimlerChrysler AG's U.S.-based Chrysler brand also did better. GM's eight segment awards and Ford's five, including a model from its Japanese affiliate Mazda Motor Corp., were the best ever for both companies, J.D. Power said. "We expected this," Deborah Coleman, Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford's vice president of quality, said in an interview. "There is an intense focus on customer loyalty and customer satisfaction." Ford's Lincoln luxury brand finished No. 3 overall at 151 complaints per 100 vehicles, and its Mercury and Ford brands also finished better than the industrywide average. Detroit-based GM has said its challenge is to change the perception of consumers who believe the company's vehicles don't match the quality of competitors such as Toyota. "We have understood for some time that perception has lagged reality," said Annette Clayton, GM North America vice president of quality. "We see results like this as evidence that consumers recognize this as well." DaimlerChrysler AG's Mercedes unit, which has suffered from complaints about quality in the United States and Europe, improved 13.5 percent to 283 problems, J.D. Power said. It is still worse than the industry average 237 problems. Mercedes finished 11th in a J.D. Power survey of German car-owner satisfaction also released Wednesday. The German survey asked owners of 2-year-old automobiles to rate them in categories including quality, reliability and appeal. In the United States, carmakers showed "a pretty broad-based improvement," Chance Parker, executive director of product and research analysis at J.D. Power, said in an interview. "Almost every brand improved." J.D. Power based its conclusions on responses from 50,635 original owners of 2002 model cars and light trucks. The results

 

J.D. Power and Associates released its annual survey of vehicle dependability Wednesday, based on questionnaires sent to owners of 2002 model-year vehicles. The list ranks vehicle brands by the problems their owners reported per 100 vehicles. Brand Problems per 100 vehicles Lexus 139 Porsche 149 Lincoln 151 Buick 163 Cadillac 175 Infiniti 178 Toyota 194 Mercury 195 Honda 201 Acura 203 BMW 225 Ford 231 Chevrolet 232 Chrysler 235 Saturn 240 Oldsmobile 242 GMC 245 Pontiac 245 Mazda 252 Hyundai 260 Subaru 260 Volvo 266 Jaguar 268 Dodge 273 Nissan 275 Mitsubishi 278 Mercedes-Benz 283 Saab 286 Jeep 289 Suzuki 292 Audi 312 Daewoo 318 Isuzu 331 Volkswagen 335 Mini 383 Land Rover 395 Kia 397 INDUSTRY AVERAGE 237 Source: J.D. Power and Associates/ The Associated Press