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The 2007
Reliability-Durability Updates: For Vehicles 3-to-5 Years Old, Toyota and Honda
Account for 18 of 19 Best, GM - 24 of 61 Worst
Auto on Info August 2007
The 2007 Reliability-Durability Updates: For Vehicles 3-to-5 Years Old, Toyota and Honda Account for 18 of 19 Best, GM - 24 of 61 Worst
By James B. Bleeker
Models by the Reliable Two account for 18 of the 19 highest Reliability Percentranks for 2002 vehicles between the ages of three years and five years. Of these, models by Toyota Motor Corporation account for thirteen - 4 Lexi and 9 Toyotas - and models by Honda Motor Company account for five - 1 Acura and 4 Hondas.
The following table lists these top nineteen models, together with their respective Reliability Percentranks.
The Best of 2002: Models with a Reliability Percentrank of .93 or More in Vehicular Age Range of 3-to-5 Years Model Reliability Percentrank The V6 Toyota Highlander midsize SUV 1.00 Toyota's Lexus RX midsize SUV 1.00 The 4-cylinder Honda Accord 1.00 Toyota's Lexus LS sedan .99 The Toyota Echo small car .98 The Toyota Avalon large car .98 The V6 Honda Accord .97 Toyota's Lexus ES sedan .97 Toyota's Lexus GS sedan .97 Honda's Acura RL sedan .96 The Mazda MX-5 Miata .96 The Toyota Land Cruiser large SUV .96 The legendary Toyota Corolla .95 The 4-cylinder Toyota RAV4 small SUV .95 The Honda Civic .95 The Toyota Celica sport car .95 The V8 Toyota Tundra large pickup .93 The Honda CR-V small SUV .93 The 4-cylinder Toyota Camry .93 Toyota's Lexus LS, number 4 on the list, has often held a position in the annual best cars and trucks tables. See "For Vehicles 6-to-8 Years Old, Toyota Garners 7 of Top 10 Reliability Percentranks, General Motors Gathers 23 of Lowest 36," Auto on Info, August 2005, "For Vehicles 5-to-7 Years Old, Honda Garners 5 of Top 9, Toyota - 4 of Top 9, and General Motors - 19 of Bottom 38," Auto on Info, August 2005, "For Vehicles 4-to-6 Years Old, Toyota Garners 6 of Top 10, General Motors Garners 15 of Bottom 38," Auto on Info, August 2005, "For Vehicles 3-to-5 Years Old, Toyota Garners 9 of Top 14, Honda - 5 of Top 14, and General Motors - 19 of Bottom 44," Auto on Info, August 2005, "For 2-to-3-Year-Old Model Year 2002 Vehicles, Toyota Garners 6 of Top 9, General Motors - 13 of Bottom 45," Auto on Info, August 2005, "For 2-to-3-Year-Old Model-Year-2003 Vehicles, Toyota Garners 8 of Top 9 and 9 of Top 14, General Motors Accounts for 18 of Bottom 46," Auto on Info, August 2006, "Reliability Updates: For Model Year 2002, Toyota Accounts for 11 of 16 Best, GM - 16 of 53 Worst," Auto on Info, August 2006, "Reliability Updates: For Vehicles 3-to-5 Years Old, Toyota Accounts for 13 of 15 Best, GM - 17 of 47 Worst," Auto on Info, August 2006, "Reliability Updates: For Vehicles 4-to-6 Years Old, Toyota Accounts for 8 of 14 Best, GM - 19 of 47 Worst," Auto on Info, August 2006, "Reliability Updates: For Vehicles 5-to-7 Years Old, Toyota Accounts for 9 of 13 Best, GM - 17 of 42 Worst," Auto on Info, August 2006, "Reliability Updates: For Vehicles 6-to-8 Years Old, Toyota Accounts for 7 of 10 Best, GM - 17 of 36 Worst," Auto on Info, August 2006, "The 2007 Reliability-Durability Updates: For Vehicles 7-to-9 Years Old, Toyota and Honda Account for 11 of 12 Best, GM - 22 of 41 Worst: Will a Typical Toyota at 30 Years of Age Be as Troublesome as a Typical GM at 3 Years of Age?" Auto on Info, July 2007, "The 2007 Reliability-Durability Updates: For Vehicles 6-to-8 Years Old, Toyota and Honda Account for 13 of 13 Best, GM - 18 of 43 Worst: Will a Typical Toyota at 19 Years of Age Be as Troublesome as a Typical GM at 3 Years of Age?" Auto on Info, July 2007, "The 2007 Reliability-Durability Updates: For Vehicles 5-to-7 Years Old, Toyota and Honda Account for 12 of 13 Best, GM - 19 of 48 Worst: Will a Typical Toyota at 21 Years of Age Be as Troublesome as a Typical GM at 3 Years of Age?" Auto on Info, July 2007, and "The 2007 Reliability-Durability Updates: For Vehicles 4-to-6 Years Old, Toyota and Honda Account for 17 of 17 Best, GM - 24 of 56 Worst: Will a Typical Toyota at 13 Years of Age Be as Troublesome as a Typical GM at 3 Years of Age?" Auto on Info, July 2007.
The Toyota Corolla, number 13 on the list, is an internationally renowned 40-year legend of reliability, durability (see "Site Manager Replaces Corolla Transmission: 1984 Torque Converter Expires at 478,943 Miles," Auto on Info, June 2005 and "Site Manager's 1984 Corolla Passes 500,000 Mark," Auto on Info, October 2006), and pleasing performance and appearance. As a buyer from Africa at Dubai's mid-eastern auto mart Ducamz put it: Everyone wants one. Indeed, life may not be complete without having owned a Corolla, and life may be appreciably less interesting without having owned the same one for at least 20 years and 400,000 miles.
The best vehicles of 2002 cover the full size spectrum of Toyota's SUV offerings, from the small 4-cylinder RAV4 (number 14) to the midsize V6 Toyota Highlander (number 1) to the large Toyota Land Cruiser (number 12), the last being a decades old international legend of reliability in harsh environments and difficult terrain.
The following chart depicts the relative presence of the major automobile manufacturers in this quality-cars-and-trucks table.
The following table provides photographs of the 2007 editions of 12 of Toyota's 13 models on the list of best, together with links to review pages. The review pages provide additional distinctions held by each model.
2007 Editions of Toyota's Thirteen Models in the Best-of-2002 Table Toyota Highlander Toyota Highlander Hybrid 2007 Lexus RX 350 2007 Lexus RX 400h Lexus LS 460 Toyota Yaris (the Echo's more refined successor) Toyota Avalon Lexus ES 350 Lexus GS 430 Toyota Land Cruiser Toyota Corolla Toyota RAV4 Toyota Tundra Toyota Camry Toyota Camry hybrid The next table provides photographs of the 2007 editions of 3 of Honda's 4 entries on the list of best, together with links to review pages. The review pages provide additional distinctions held by each model.
2007 Editions of Three of Honda's Four Models in the Best-of-2002 Table Honda Accord Sedan Honda Accord Hybrid Honda Accord Hybrid Acura RL Honda Civic DX, LX, and EX Sedans Honda Civic Si Sedan Honda Civic GX Honda CR-V At the opposite end of the spectrum, GM-engineered models in General Motors Corporation's domestic lines account for 24 of the 61 worst models of 2002. Models in Ford Motor Company's domestic lines account for 7 of the 61 worst, and Chrysler Group's models account for 7 of the 61 worst. By percentage, GM's domestic-line models account for 39% of the worst of 2002, Ford's - 11%, and Chrysler's - 11%. If the European lines of GM (the Saab line), Ford (the Volvo, Jaguar, and Land Rover lines), and DaimlerChrysler AG (the Mercedes-Benz line) are included in the count, GM models account for 41% of the worst of 2002, Ford models - 16%, and DaimlerChrysler models - 28%, for a total of 75% of the worst of 2002, almost identical to that of last year, when the vehicles were a year younger (see "Reliability Updates: For Model Year 2002, Toyota Accounts for 11 of 16 Best, GM - 16 of 53 Worst," Auto on Info, August 2006).
The following table helps put these percentages into perspective.
Percentage of Model Entries in the Worst Cars and Trucks Tables for Model Years 1988, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, by Manufacturer 2007 Updates Manufacturer 1988 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 General Motors Corporation 28.5% 53.7% 44.1% 39.6% 42.9% 41.0% Ford Motor Company 43.5% 9.8% 11.6% 27.1% 14.3% 16.4% DaimlerChrysler AG 25.0% 14.6% 23.3% 18.8% 23.2% 18.0% Total 97% 78.1% 79.0% 85.5% 80.4% 75.4% 2006 Updates Manufacturer 1988 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 General Motors Corporation 28.5% 47.2% 40.5% 40.4% 36.2% 32.1% Ford Motor Company 43.5% 13.9% 14.3% 23.4% 25.5% 17.0% DaimlerChrysler AG 25.0% 16.7% 21.4% 14.9% 14.9% 26.4% Total 97% 77.8% 76.2% 78.7% 76.6% 75.5% As the updates of 2006 and 2007 do not affect the worst-cars-and-trucks table of 1988, the percentages are unchanged. The 2007 updates for model year 1998 cover the performance of vehicles between the ages of 7 and 9 years; the 2006 updates for model year 1998 cover the performance of vehicles between the ages of 6 and 8 years. The 2007 updates for model year 1999 cover the performance of vehicles between the ages of 6 and 8 years; the 2006 updates for model year 1999 cover the performance of vehicles between the ages of 5 and 7 years. The 2007 updates for model year 2000 cover the performance of vehicles between the ages of 5 and 7 years; the 2006 updates for model year 2000 cover the performance of vehicles between the ages of 4 and 6 years. The 2007 updates for model year 2001 cover the performance of vehicles between the ages of 4 and 6 years; the 2006 updates for model year 2001 cover the performance of vehicles between the ages of 3 and 5 years. The 2007 updates for model year 2002 cover the performance of vehicles between the ages of 3 and 5 years; the 2006 updates for model year 2002 cover the performance of vehicles between the ages of 2 and 4 years. The next table gives the individual models in the 2007 update of the worst cars and trucks table for model year 2002.
The Worst of 2002: Models with a Reliability Percentrank of .25 or Less in Vehicular Age of 3-to-5 Years Model Reliability Percentrank Honda Passport .24 General Motors' 4-wheel-drive GMC Sonoma pickup .24 General Motors' V6 Chevrolet Malibu sedan .24 Chrysler's V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee .24 Chrysler's V6 Dodge Caravan .24 Isuzu Rodeo .24 Volkswagen's 4-cylinder Audi A4 .24 Ford's 2-wheel-drive Mercury Mountaineer .24 Ford's 4-wheel-drive Mercury Mountaineer .24 2-wheel-drive Ford Explorer .24 4-wheel-drive Ford Explorer .24 General Motors' GMC Jimmy .24 Ford's Lincoln Navigator .20 Saab 9-5 .20 Volkswagen's V6 Audi A6 .19 BMW's supercharged Mini Cooper hatchback .18 General Motors' regular Pontiac Montana .18 V6 Chrysler Voyager .18 General Motors' Saturn Vue .18 Jaguar S-Type .18 General Motors' Cadillac DeVille .17 General Motors' Pontiac Bonneville .17 Extended, 2-wheel-drive Chrysler Town & Country .17 Volkswagen Euro Van .15 V6 Ford Explorer .15 General Motors' Chevrolet Blazer .15 BMW M3 .14 Mercedes-Benz SLK .14 General Motors' Pontiac Grand Am .14 Volkswagen New Beetle .13 Volvo S80 .13 Ford's V8 Mercury Mountaineer .12 Chrysler's 4-wheel-drive Dodge Ram 1500 pickup .12 General Motors' Cadillac Seville .11 4-cylinder Volkswagen Jetta .10 General Motors' regular Chevrolet Venture Van .10 Chrysler's V8, 4-wheel-drive Dodge Ram 1500 pickup .10 4-cylinder, front-wheel-drive Volkswagen Passat .09 General Motors' 6-cylinder Chevrolet Trailblazer .09 General Motors' 6-cylinder GMC Envoy .09 Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV .09 BMW's Mini Cooper .06 General Motors' Chevrolet Trailblazer .06 Volkswagen Golf Turbo .06 General Motors' V8 GMC Envoy .06 General Motors' V6 Saturn L-Series, L300 .06 Chrysler's V6 Jeep Grand Cherokee .06 Mercedes-Benz S-Class .06 Mercedes-Benz C-Class .05 General Motors' Buick Rendezvous .05 General Motors' 2-wheel-drive Buick Rendezvous .03 General Motors' extended Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan .03 General Motors' extended Pontiac Montana minivan .03 General Motors' extended Chevrolet Venture minivan .03 Jaguar X-Type .03 General Motors' Pontiac Aztek SUV .02 General Motors' GMC Safari Van .01 General Motors' Chevrolet Astro Van .01 BMW 7-Series .01 Kia Sedona minivan 0.00 4-cylinder Volkswagen Jetta Turbo 0.00 The following chart depicts the prevalence of the automobile manufacturers in the table of worst cars and trucks.
The next chart depicts the percentage that each line contributed to GM's worst of 2002.
The next chart depicts the rate of dilapidation of 2002 vehicles by Toyota Motor Corporation and the rates of dilapidation of the 2002 U.S. domestic vehicles by Ford Motor Company, the Chrysler Group, and General Motors Corporation, per the Reliability Score. The chart should help visualize the difference in deterioration rates for each of the four largest automobile manufacturers, by U.S. sales.
Here we see that the downward slopes of the 2002 regression lines for General Motors Corporation, the Chrysler Group, and Ford Motor Company plunge extremely steeply. Also, Toyota Motor Corporation's 2002 regression line slopes more sharply downward than those for previous model years, although this may be, in part, a statistical quirk, as its 2002 Reliability Score average for vehicular age range 2-to-4 years is in line with recent years but its 2002 Reliability Score average for vehicular age range 3-to-5 years is not.
The very steeply plunging slopes of the Big Three - GM, Ford and Chrysler - for models years 2001 and 2002 run strongly counter to the assertions of quality improvements by these manufacturers. It appears that their quality - reliability and durability - is dramatically worsening rather than improving. This may be, in part, due to the greater use of electronics and new technologies. It also may be, in part, due to the rush to market of new or refreshed models. In any event, GM should likely continue dumping old models and model names as the models develop a reputation for low quality.
The downward trend of the slopes of Toyota's regression lines from model year 1998 to model year 2002 is likely primarily a consequence of such factors as (1) its rapid expansion of output to meet surging global demand for its high quality products, (2) its location of factories in the U.S. based on political considerations, (3) its growing list of North American suppliers that makes quality monitoring more challenging, and (4) its severe shortage of Toyota System Masters, although the increased use of electronics and new technologies is surely a factor as well.
With regard to the downward slope of Toyota's 2002 regression line, the two largest contributors to the decline in Toyota's Reliability Score average from vehicular age range 2-to-4 years to vehicular age range 3-to-5 years were the declines in the Reliability Score averages of the North-American-made Toyota Sequoia SUV (from .63 to .32) and the North-American-made Toyota Sienna (from .78 to .63). Consumers may wish to avoid both of these until there is evidence that quality has improved. Functional Toyota alternatives are the midsize Toyota Highlander SUV (which declined from .96 to .95) and the large Toyota Land Cruiser SUV (which declined from .82 to .78), both of which were among the best of 2002 for vehicular age range 3-to-5 years. Nonetheless, both the Toyota Sequoia and the Toyota Sienna rather shine relative to their respective non-Toyota alternatives, as the following tables demonstrate.
Reliability Scores, Percentranks and Grades of the Toyota Sienna Minivan and Its Minivan Alternatives Model Reliability Score Reliability Percentrank Reliability Grade Toyota Sienna .63 .85 B Honda Odyssey .39 .72 C- Nissan Quest .08 .44 F Ford's Mercury Villager .08 .44 F Ford Windstar -.11 .29 F Chrysler's 2-wheel-drive V6 Dodge Grand Caravan -.12 .27 F Chrysler's V6 Dodge Caravan -.15
