There are three non-premium nameplates that ranked in the top 5, Buick, Honda and Mercury while Buick and Lexus tied for first place.
Lexus garners five segment awards -- the most of any nameplate in 2007 -- for the GS 300/GS430, GX 470, LS 430, LX 470 and SC 430. Toyota follows with four segment awards for the RAV 4, Sequoia, Tacoma and Tundra. Ford, Honda and Oldsmobile each capture two awards. Ford models receiving awards are the Crown Victoria and Mustang (in a tie), while Honda earns awards for the Civic and S2000. Oldsmobile models receiving awards are the Bravada and Silhouette. Models by Buick, Chevrolet, Infiniti, Mazda and Scion each rank highest in one segment.
The study also finds that vehicle models with strong dependability may retain up to 15 percent more of their value after three years, which may increase their purchase prices when sold as used vehicles. In particular, vehicle models that demonstrate strong dependability lose their value less rapidly compared with vehicles that are not as dependable. With higher residual value, dependable vehicles may command higher purchase prices on the used-vehicle market. In addition, vehicles with higher retained value can be important assets to automakers and dealerships, which may be able to sell a dependable vehicle two to three times during its life cycle.
The study also finds that approximately 65 percent of vehicle owners experience one or more problems that require components to be replaced. Owners who have problems that require component replacements within the first three years of ownership are considerably less satisfied than owners who don't need to replace components. Satisfaction is decreased further if owners are required to replace a major component, such as a transmission, as well as if minor components, such as brake pads, need to be replaced frequently. Component failure and the accompanying decline in satisfaction can lead to decreased customer loyalty. Owners who experience component failure expect to keep their vehicle approximately one year less than do owners who experience problems but do not need to replace components.
The 2007 Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from more than 53,000 original owners of 2004 model-year vehicles. The study was fielded from January through April 2007.