Special Report
The Most (and Least) Dependable Car Brands
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Whether it is a dead car battery discovered at the beginning of a commute to work or broken air conditioning in the middle of summer, unreliable vehicles can create unpleasant experiences for owners. Prospective buyers are increasingly avoiding unreliable vehicles, adding pressure to the brands that consistently underperform in dependability.
24/7 Wall St. listed the most and least dependable car brands, reviewing J.D. Power’s 2017 Vehicle Dependability Study. The study gives long-term dependability scores to 31 vehicle brands based on problems reported by the original owners of 2014 model-year vehicles. A brand’s final score is the total problems experienced per 100 vehicles in the past 12 months.
The industry averages 156 problems per 100 vehicles. Lexus and Porsche tie for the best score with only 110 problems per 100 vehicles. By contrast, Fiat owners reported 298 problems per 100 vehicles, the worst score of any measured brand. Among individual models, the Toyota Camry is the most dependable vehicle.
Click here to see the most and least dependable car brands.
Within the dependability score, 177 different types of problems are measured, comprising eight major categories. As with past years of the study, the audio/communication/entertainment/navigation category accounts for the most reported problems. Of all problems, 22% were in this category. The top two problems reported in the study were bluetooth pairing and connectivity, as well as subpar voice recognition.
To identify the most and least dependable car brands, 24/7 Wall St. listed the problems per 100 vehicles score for each of the 31 nameplates measured in J.D. Power’s 2017 Vehicle Dependability Study. 2014 vehicle sales figures for each brand were obtained from GoodCarBadCar.net.
These are the most and least dependable car brands.
Source: courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc.
1. Lexus
> Problems per 100 cars: 110
> 2014 unit sales: 311,389
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Company
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Source: Porsche.com
2. Porsche
> Problems per 100 cars: 110
> 2014 unit sales: 47,007
> Parent company: Volkswagen Group
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Source: toyota-global.com
3. Toyota
> Problems per 100 cars: 123
> 2014 unit sales: 2,004,373
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Company
Source: buick.com
4. Buick
> Problems per 100 cars: 126
> 2014 unit sales: 228,963
> Parent company: General Motors
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Source: mbusa.com
5. Mercedes-Benz
> Problems per 100 cars: 131
> 2014 unit sales: 356,136
> Parent company: Daimler AG
Source: hyundaiusa.com
6. Hyundai
> Problems per 100 cars: 133
> 2014 unit sales: 725,718
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
7. BMW
> Problems per 100 cars: 139
> 2014 unit sales: 339,738
> Parent company: BMW
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Source: courtesy of General Motors Co.
8. Chevrolet
> Problems per 100 cars: 142
> 2014 unit sales: 2,033,442
> Parent company: General Motors
Source: Honda.com
9. Honda
> Problems per 100 cars: 143
> 2014 unit sales: 1,373,029
> Parent company: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
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Source: Courtesy of jaguarusa.com
10. Jaguar
> Problems per 100 cars: 144
> 2014 unit sales: 15,773
> Parent company: Tata Motors
Source: kia.com
11. Kia
> Problems per 100 cars: 148
> 2014 unit sales: 580,234
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
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Source: lincoln.com
12. Lincoln
> Problems per 100 cars: 150
> 2014 unit sales: 94,474
> Parent company: Ford Motor Company
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Source: miniusa.com
13. MINI
> Problems per 100 cars: 150
> 2014 unit sales: 56,112
> Parent company: BMW
Source: gmc.com
14. GMC
> Problems per 100 cars: 151
> 2014 unit sales: 501,853
> Parent company: General Motors
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Source: courtesy of Cadillac
15. Cadillac
> Problems per 100 cars: 152
> 2014 unit sales: 170,750
> Parent company: General Motors
Source: audiusa.com
16. Audi
> Problems per 100 cars: 153
> 2014 unit sales: 182,011
> Parent company: Volkswagen Group
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Source: media.volvocars.com
17. Volvo
> Problems per 100 cars: 154
> 2014 unit sales: 56,366
> Parent company: Zhejiang Geely Holding Group
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Source: chrysler.com
18. Chrysler
> Problems per 100 cars: 159
> 2014 unit sales: 308,785
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV
Source: courtesy of Subaru of America
19. Subaru
> Problems per 100 cars: 164
> 2014 unit sales: 513,693
> Parent company: Fuji Heavy Industries
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Source: courtesy of Volkswagen of America Inc.
20. Volkswagen
> Problems per 100 cars: 164
> 2014 unit sales: 366,970
> Parent company: Volkswagen Group
Source: http://insidemazda.mazdausa.com
21. Mazda
> Problems per 100 cars: 166
> 2014 unit sales: 305,801
> Parent company: Mazda Motor Corporation
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Source: acura.com
22. Acura
> Problems per 100 cars: 167
> 2014 unit sales: 167,843
> Parent company: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Source: Antonio / Wikimedia Commons
23. Nissan
> Problems per 100 cars: 170
> 2014 unit sales: 1,269,565
> Parent company: Groupe Renault
Source: landroverusa.com
24. Land Rover
> Problems per 100 cars: 178
> 2014 unit sales: 51,465
> Parent company: Tata Motors
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Source: Wikimedia Commons
25. Mitsubishi
> Problems per 100 cars: 182
> 2014 unit sales: 77,643
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan Alliance
Source: Wikimedia Commons
26. Ford
> Problems per 100 cars: 183
> 2014 unit sales: 2,376,841
> Parent company: Ford Motor Company
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Source: ramtrucks.com
27. Ram
> Problems per 100 cars: 183
> 2014 unit sales: 469,139
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV
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Source: Courtesy of Dodge
28. Dodge
> Problems per 100 cars: 187
> 2014 unit sales: 574,155
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV
Source: Courtesy of Infiniti
29. Infiniti
> Problems per 100 cars: 203
> 2014 unit sales: 117,330
> Parent company: Groupe Renault
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Source: Thinkstock
30. Jeep
> Problems per 100 cars: 209
> 2014 unit sales: 692,348
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV
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Source: fiatusa.com
31. Fiat
> Problems per 100 cars: 298
> 2014 unit sales: 46,121
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV
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