By Alex Nunez on October 29, 2009 in
The results of ConsumerReports.org's eagerly-anticipated annual auto reliability survey are in, and once again, Japanese and Korean manufacturers lead the way in terms of the number of cars displaying above-average reliability. Many of the survey's granular details are still tucked behind CR's pay wall and available only to subscribers, but Consumer Reports has made the overview summary open to all, and added a fully-accessible blog post with an interesting rundown of the most and least reliable vehicles by automaker. Additionally, Autoblog.com has posted ConsumerReports.org's official press release, along with an image gallery of charts that will likely appear in the print magazine, and are probably included in the content that would otherwise be limited to the subscribers. All told, if you want a good general rundown, you can see a lot of useful information for free.
CR says that the majority of the most reliable family cars were actually hybrids, and while stalwarts Toyota and Honda garner the lion's share of highly-rated cars in general, on the domestic side, the story appears to be the improvement shown by Ford Motor Company products, which showed the biggest gains in terms of vehicles displaying average reliability or better. For example, the front-drive versions of the Ford Fusion (shown above) and Mercury Milan twins score better reliability ratings in the survey than the V6-powered Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Likewise, General Motors scores a coup of its own as the V6 Chevy Malibu (the sole GM car displaying better-than-average reliability) joins its crosstown rivals from the Blue Oval in finishing ahead of the family car staples from Honda and Toyota. Chrysler products don't fare very well, with a third displaying below-average reliability. The notable exception is the four-wheel-drive Dodge Ram pickup truck, which CR editors say road-tested well while returning average reliability, according to its survey respondents.
If you are a ConsumerReports.org subscriber, you can read all the details there. If not, be sure to check the free content CR has published, along with the extra materials they supplied to Autoblog.com.
