Ford and Toyota Top 2011 J.D. Power Dependability Study

The study takes into account a year’s worth of issues in cars that are 3 years old. The vehicles included would be from the 2008 model year. J.D. Power also has an Initial Quality Study that looks at the first 90 days of ownership.

Surprisingly, this year’s dependability study reinforces findings from the 2008 Initial Quality Study in terms of how imports outrank domestic models in reliability. There is an 18-point gap between the two. While there is only a 12-point gap between cars, the study found that imported light trucks, SUVs and crossovers are significantly more reliable than domestics.

This might also be the benchmark study to see how the domestics improved during post-economic downturn and bankruptcy. Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge make up three of the bottom five brands on the list, while Chevy and GMC fall below the industry average. However, Buick and Cadillac come in at No. 7 and No. 9, respectively. Check out the full list below.

2011 Nameplate Ranking (Problems per 100 vehicles)

Lincoln:101 
Lexus: 109 
Jaguar: 112 
Porsche: 114 
Toyota: 122 
Acura: 123 
Buick: 125 
Mercedes-Benz: 128 
Cadillac: 130 
Hyundai: 132 
Honda: 139 
Ford: 140 
Saab: 146 
Infiniti: 151 
Industry Average: 151 
Smart: 152 
Chevrolet: 156 
Volvo: 156 
Subaru: 157 
Kia: 160 
Audi: 161 
BMW: 164 
Scion: 166 
Ram: 173 
Mazda: 181 
Nissan: 183 
GMC: 184 
Mitsubishi: 186 
Suzuki: 190 
Volkswagen: 191 
Chrysler: 202 
Dodge: 206 
Land Rover: 212 
Jeep: 214 
Mini: 221