[Hylton]

Here's more info I found on the J.D. Powers site regarding the survey. What I find interesting is that this survey is only based on the preceding 12 months of someone who has owned the car for 3 years. It is not based on 36 months of ownership. In other words, any issues which may have been fixed during the first 2 years of ownership, would not count towards this dependability survey.

My idea of a 3 year reliability survey would include the statistics for all 3 years. I find the above chart published by J.D.Powers to be a bit mis-leading.

Original owners who completed the survey for the 2010 VDS were asked to report the type and number of problems experienced during the preceding 12 months with their 3-year-old vehicle, which is measured as “problems per 100 vehicles” (PP100, a straight average of the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles). A lower PP100 score reflects higher quality. Problems were grouped into the following eight categories:

Vehicle Exterior
The Driving Experience
Features, Controls and Displays
Audio, Entertainment and Navigation
Seats
Heating, Ventilation and Cooling
Vehicle Interior
Engine and Transmission
Following are some of the study highlights:

Twenty-five of 36 vehicle brands have improved in long-term reliability in 2010, compared with their performance in 2009, which continues a steady trend of industry-wide improvement.

Toyota continues to perform well in long-term dependability and garners four segment awards—more than any other nameplate in 2010—for the Highlander, Prius, Sequoia, and Tundra. Honda receives three segment awards for the CR-V, Fit, and Ridgeline. Lincoln receives two awards for the Mark LT and MKZ. Models by Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and Mercury each receive an award in their respective segment.

Due to a 38 PP100 improvement, Porsche moves up 10 rank positions from the brand’s performance in the 2009 study to rank highest among all nameplates in the 2010 study—its first-ever No. 1 ranking, and is consistent with the nameplate’s performance in the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Initial Quality Study,SM which measures owner satisfaction after 90 days of ownership.

Lincoln, by way of a 30 PP100 improvement, moves up six rank positions from 2009 to follow Porsche in the nameplate rankings. Rounding out the top five nameplates are Buick, Lexus, and Mercury.

Seven of the 10 models with the lowest incidence of problems in the industry this year are from Ford and General Motors, including the 2007-model-year Buick LaCrosse, Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS, Ford Five Hundred, Lincoln MKZ, Mercury Milan, and Mercury Montego.

Overall vehicle dependability has improved by 7% in 2010 to an average of 155 PP100, compared with 167 PP100 in 2009—a rate that is consistent with historical industry gains.
About the Study

The 2010 Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from more than 52,000 original owners of 2007 model-year vehicles. The study was fielded between October and December 2009. The study includes 198 different problem symptoms across all areas of the vehicle.