Buick, Jaguar top J.D. Power's dependability list

Buick and Jaguar bested a field of rivals in an influential vehicle dependability study released Thursday, knocking Lexus from atop the list after 14 years.

General Motors Corp.'s Cadillac brand along with Buick were the only two of the company's eight brands to score above the industry average in the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Vehicle Dependability Study, which measures problems experienced by owners of 2006 model year vehicles. Ford Motor Co. netted high marks with all three of its brands ranking above the average for the second straight year. Its Mercury Grand Marquis was the most dependable large car, and two Lincolns vehicles topped their segments.

Chrysler LLC, meanwhile, only had its namesake brand score above the industry average. Last year the automaker failed to win any segment awards, but this year its Dodge Caravan was the most dependable van in its class.

Among foreign rivals, Toyota Motor Corp. won five segment awards -- tops among all brands.

The results could help domestic automakers counter the perception, particularly on Capitol Hill, that they lag foreign rivals in dependability and quality.

"There's more of a blurring between the quality of imports and the quality of domestics," said David Sargent, vice president of automotive research at J.D. Power. "Where the domestics have the greatest challenge is in the average consumer's perception of quality and reliability, which is still lagging reality."

The results might not be enough to overcome market conditions and the recession keeping buyers from dealer showrooms, said auto analyst Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics in Birmingham.

"I can't imagine it's going to get someone off their butt and buy a car if they are concerned about having a job in a few weeks or if they can recover money they lost in their 401(k)," Hall said.

Nonetheless, the recognition for GM comes in contrast to the drumbeat of bad news surrounding the Detroit automaker, which must show progress toward becoming a viable company by March 31 or be forced to immediately repay $13.4 billion in federal loans. The public perception boost also comes four months after GM, which has asked for $16.6 billion in additional aid, was criticized by some lawmakers during testimony on Capitol Hill.

"In the auto industry, it's about time we have some good news," said Susan Docherty, GM North American vice president of Buick, Pontiac and GMC. "I think what was really enlightening as we all watched the hearings on television in December, the perception of our brands and image of the company in terms of how people felt about us was outdated by at least a decade."

Buick and Cadillac were alone among GM's eight brands to score better than the average of 170 problems per 100 vehicles.

For Ford, the rate of problems per 100 vehicles dropped 22 percent, and 11 percent each for Lincoln and Mercury. The Dearborn automaker credited that to its focus on quality, spokeswoman Kristen Kinley said.

Chrysler's rate of 165 problems per 100 vehicles was 5 points better than average.

The study is widely used by automakers, and consumers use the information when buying vehicles.Detroit's Big Three had several vehicles receive segment-leading honors for dependability.

The Buick LaCrosse was the highest-ranked midsize car, while the Ford Ranger was the most dependable midsize pickup.

The Lincoln Zephyr, now named the MKZ, was the top-rated entry-level premium vehicle, and the Lincoln Mark LT was the most dependable large premium multi-activity vehicle, a category with trucks and SUVs.

"Being named one of the four core brands, I think what that is going to do for the buying public is further validate that Buick has the products that consumers will probably want to take a look at," Docherty said.

Among foreign rivals, Toyota won five segment awards -- tops among all brands-- for the Highlander, Prius, Sequoia, Solara and Tundra

Though Toyota's luxury brand, Lexus, dropped to second place by four points, the automaker's LS 430 had the fewest problems of any model and the brand led four segments, including large premium car and premium sporty car.