[ForesterBill]

Subaru ranks in the middle of the pack:

Lexus, Toyota, Porsche top list of most reliable cars in America, J.D. Power says

 

[Whitesc]

Subaru ranks in the middle of the pack:

Lexus, Toyota, Porsche top list of most reliable cars in America, J.D. Power says

If JD Power says it, it's gotta be true. :wink2:

 

[NinoS]

thanks for posting. This list has some glaring differences vs the consumer reports rankings. Something is going on between the two of them, and I tend to trust consumer reports more. My guess, aside from the obvious suggestion there is paid advertising going on here, is the type of problems counted as "reliability related" - that could sway the data. For instance they mention voice recognition. If we're talking reliability, I don't want that lumped in with head gasket failures.

 

[ForesterBill]

I wonder how JD Power gathers their data? From the comments about Tesla, it sounds like auto makers self-report:

"One brand that wasn't tracked: Tesla, due to "insufficient sample size," in part tied to restrictions the company placed on the sharing of vehicle data, J.D. Power spokesman Kyle Reuter said in an email."

I continue to place a lot more faith in Consumer Reports reliability rankings.

 

[cynage1]

Thanks for the article!

 

[Botnik]

JD Powers doesn't mean anything. Their awards are very specific like "most reliable glove compartment latch in blue cars assembled on Thursday morning by a technician whose name ends in R." If an auto maker wants to have an award for something, they just get JD Powers to make up an award. It's totally meaningless, and only a certain demographic of auto makers will use JD Powers awards as advertising.

 

[hammersc]

Irrelevant.
CR is your unbiased, long term reliability best bet indicator

 

[cjecpa]

Your best indicator is actually owners. Read replies on sites like Edmunds. Mini is a surprise but Consumer Reports does recommends the Countryman.

 

[Subguy58]

as a subscriber and reader of Consumer Reports magazine, all I ever read and see about Subaru's is generally very very good things in terms of both reliability and customer satisfaction.

 

[lowflier]

You do realize that JD Power is only a marketing firm and that car manufacturers actually pay them for these "awards."

 

[Whitesc]

That's why no one will see a Subaru ad using JD Power awards. Subaru won't pay for it.

 

[rdclark]

Your best indicator is actually owners.

Which is the source of CR's reliability data: hundreds of thousands of actual owners who fill out their annual surveys (which cover not just cars, but also many other goods and services).

Anecdotal comments on any site, even this one, are not a useful indicator. Most owners who are happy with their cars don't participate in forums. Many (most?) who do have an axe to grind, and often post their same gripes on multiple sites.. Some are fanbois who defend their brand under any circumstances.

Only CR deals in reliability data with sufficient numbers to assure a degree of statistical validity.

 

[cjecpa]

I get CR however, I still have a problem with some of their ratings for one thing they recommend some cars when they are new but not as a used vehicle. The only Subaru they recommend used is the 2016-2018 Crosstrek.

 

[Botnik]

I get CR however, I still have a problem with some of their ratings

CR is just one data point. It's more useful if you're in the same demographic as the people who fill out the CR surveys. I haven't read CR in 20 years but if you tend to be more mechanically inclined, you do your own oil changes, change your own light bulbs, brake pads, etc, CR is less useful.

 

[wytt]

JD Power's ranking is based on "problems per 100 vehicles." There's no ranking of the severity of the problems. A light bulb going out ranks the same as total transmission failure.

 

[ForesterBill]

CR is just one data point. It's more useful if you're in the same demographic as the people who fill out the CR surveys. I haven't read CR in 20 years but if you tend to be more mechanically inclined, you do your own oil changes, change your own light bulbs, brake pads, etc, CR is less useful.

I do my own fluid and filter changes, tire rotations, switched my interior light bulbs to LEDs...and I do find CR very useful and do fill out their surveys.