Ford Motor Co.'s Lincoln is the only Detroit brand to make of the top 10 in the latest Annual Auto Reliability data from Consumer Reports, the nonprofit research, testing and consumer advocacy organization.
The top five brands in this year's study, released Tuesday during an online press conference with the Automotive Press Association, are Toyota, Lexus, BMW, Mazda and Honda.
Lincoln moved up 14 spots to No. 10. Ford placed at No. 18, down four spots from last year. All of GM’s brands dropped in this year’s study. Buick fell seven spots to No. 11 while Cadillac fell five to No. 17. Chevrolet fell 10 spots to No. 20 and GMC dropped three spots to No. 21. Stellantis NV’s Ram truck brand climbed one spot to rank at No. 16 and Jeep fell one spot, to second to last at No. 23.
The organization found hybrid vehicles and midsize or large sedans among the most reliable. Meanwhile, electric vehicles and full-size pickups are the two most problematic categories. In the top 10, seven of the most reliable brands are Japanese and Korean.
"There's no question that the domestic brands are absolutely capable of building very reliable vehicles," aid Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports. "We've seen this in the past. What it appears to be it's just decisions on how their product lines are created. So the big difference we're seeing is some of those Asian brands that are at the top, they're very consistent. There's only a set amount of platforms. They really work out the bugs."
The top five brands are "vehicles that are evolutionary and not revolutionary when they redesign vehicles," Fisher said. "These are brands that aren't necessarily adding a lot of new technology or making a lot of changes and very often keep a lot of shared componentry throughout the product line."
The study
Every year, Consumer Reports asks its members about problems they’ve had in 17 areas, including engine, transmission, and in-car electronics. The organization then takes the information to predict reliability ratings for new cars.
This year, Consumer Reports gathered data on more than 300,000 vehicles from the 2000 to 2022 model years, with some newly-introduced 2023 models. Predictions for 2023 models are based on each year’s overall reliability for the past three years if the model hasn’t been redesigned in that time. To predict reliability for brand new models, vehicles redesigned for 2023 and those with insufficient data, Consumers reviews the brand’s reliability history.
A brand's "Overall Score" also includes road-test performance, owner satisfaction survey results, if a vehicle comes standard with key active safety systems, and results from crash tests.
Consumers Reports used to have thousands more participants for the survey. In 2018, for example, the study was based on a survey of members who collectively owned or leased more than 500,000 vehicles, from model years 2000 to 2018. In 2013, the survey had findings based on Consumer Reports subscribers’ experiences with 1.1 million vehicles.
"It is dropping," Fisher said, adding that Consumer Reports has changed what it concentrates on for its surveys.
The organization has "far more text write-ins than we ever had before," he said. "While we do have less data in terms of those models, we do have more explanation [of] exactly what goes wrong in those models. Years ago we did have more data but we had less information about what actually was specifically going wrong with those vehicles."
Detroit Three brand performance
For Lincoln, the brand's Corsair model improved to well above average and the Nautilus to above average. The luxury brand's only subpar model is the Aviator, Consumer Reports found, with many in-car electronics issues and problems with the climate system, steering and suspension, power equipment, body hardware, and paint and trim.
For the Ford brand, the new 2022 Ford Maverick and Ford Maverick Hybrid have above averagereliability along with the Edge midsize SUV. The Explorer, meanwhile, has substandard reliability.
"We’re rapidly bringing innovative new Ford and Lincoln vehicles and services to market and customers love them," Ford Corporate Communications Manager Maria Buczkowski said in a statement. "With some, there have been challenges for customers and we’re doing what’s necessary to make them right. We’re committed to giving customers great quality and experiences. That includes preventing problems in the first place, and quickly detecting and resolving them when they do occur."
This year, the F-150 Hybrid performed well while the Bronco Sport and Mustang Mach-E fell to below average. The F-150 and Escape are also below average.
All other Fords are average. The Mustang Mach-E has in-car electronics problems. The Bronco Sport dropped this year because of issues with the brakes, engine, and noises and leaks, Consumers said.
On the GM side, Consumers found wide disparities in the reliability of various Chevrolet models. Chevrolet’s Trailblazer and Blazer are both above average while the Silverado 1500, Bolt and Bolt EUV are well below average. The Tahoe improved but is still below average, and the Silverado 2500 HD truck is also below average.
"Quality and reliability are top priorities for GM and our job is never done to deliver the best vehicles to our customers," spokesperson Stuart Fowle said in a statement. "Along with our own internal data, we value the hard work third parties like Consumer Reports do to gather and report findings and look forward to further analyzing these latest findings."
Both Bolts had reliability issues primarily related to battery problems and electric drive failures. The Silverado 1500 has had "major" engine problems, the organization said. Some GMC models have similar problems, pushing the Sierra 1500, Sierra 2500 HD and Yukon below average for reliability. The Terrain and Acadia are both average.
For Stellantis NV, the Ram 1500 and Ram 2500 both have average ratings since the 1500 has had some engine computer problems and in-car electronics issues. On the Jeep side, the Cherokee is the only model with average reliability. All others are below average.
The Gladiator has had issues with steering and suspension, and the drive system and electrical system. Wrangler owners reported electrical system, fuel system, climate system and engine issues. And the Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L reportedly have in-car electronics, power equipment and steering/suspension problems.
"We regularly consult third-party survey information for greater insight into our vehicle performance. As such, we are constantly monitoring and responding with actions to improve customer experience," spokesperson Eric Mayne said in a statement. "However, we also compile data from multiple internal sources. We rely more heavily on this information, which may conflict with third-party results."
