New transmission technology designed to improve fuel efficiency elicited many complaints from owners of the 740,000 vehicles who participated in the 2015 Annual Auto Reliability Study.
Among Detroit brands, Buick was in the top 10 for the second consecutive year but was the only domestic brand to make the cut. Cadillac dropped seven places, skirting the bottom by placing 25th of 28 brands as customers continue to complain about its Cue infotainment system. Chevrolet and GMC were in the bottom third of the rankings.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles brands were all in the bottom quarter, with Chrysler doing the best, claiming the 22nd spot. Dodge was 23rd, Ram 26th, Jeep 27th, and Fiat was last at 28th.
Ford came in 17th, which is an improvement from 23rd last year. Of note, the new F-150 and Expedition both scored above average their first year on the market, but the new Mustang had problems. Nine of the 13 Ford brands were average or better, and the C-Max was among the most improved.
The $127,00 Tesla Model S super luxury electric car may be a Consumer Reports darling in road tests, but the 1,400 responses from consumers provided a long list of maladies with the drivetrain, charging equipment, big-screen center console and evidence of a poorly built vehicle with squeaks, rattles and leaks. It added up to a worse-than-average reliability score.
The survey measures the reliability of a new car based on the past three model years of problems as reported by consumers.
Honda’s Acura luxury brand dropped seven spots to 18th because of transmission and electronics complaints in the new RLX and TLX. Other automakers that have seen scores drop in recent years due to transmission complaints include Ford, Nissan and Fiat Chrysler.
“We’ve seen a number of brands struggle with new transmission technology,” said Jake Fisher, the magazine’s director of automotive testing. “Whether it’s a complex system such as a dual-clutch gearbox, a continuously variable transmission, or one with eight- or nine-speeds. Many vehicles require repair and replacements because of rough shifting among the gears and slipping CVT belts.”
Lexus received top marks for all seven new vehicles in the survey, followed by Toyota. Other Japanese brands fell from past ratings but still populated the top 10. Honda slipped a few places, largely on issues with its infotainment system. Toyota, Mazda and Subaru still made the top 10.
Among European brands, Audi has ascended to the third spot. Porsche dropped to 14th from nine last year with a below-average score for the new Macan small crossover.
Among Korean automakers, both Hyundai and Kia rose in the rankings and Kia, at sixth spot, was rated higher than Honda for the first time.
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