Consumer Reports: Jeep® brand most reliable, Dodge and Chrysler also gain

Consumer Reports magazine announced the results of their annual auto survey today and said the Jeep® brand has risen to become the most reliable domestic model, while the Chrysler and Dodge brands also recorded gains.

Japanese brands still dominate the top slots overall, while Ford brands sustained a large drop in reliability, from the 10th to the 20th spot this year?the biggest drop for any major nameplate in Consumer Reports 2011 Annual Auto Survey. The survey's results were announced today before the Automotive Press Association in Detroit.

While Ford's star has fallen, Chrysler Group's has risen, the magazine said. The Jeep brand moved up seven spots to 13, becoming the most reliable domestic brand for which Consumer Reports has sufficient data to predicted reliability. The Chrysler and Dodge brands moved up 12 and three spots in ranking, respectively, the editors said.

Chrysler Group had better results with its new models, including the freshened Chrysler 200 (formerly Sebring) sedan and the redesigned Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs, the publication's press release said. The Chrysler brand moved up in Consumer Reports survey, but its rank is based on just two models: the 200, which was well above average, and the freshened Town & Country minivan, which did not do well, the magazine's editors said. The remaining model, the 300, is too new for Consumer Reports to have sufficient data, the magazine said.

The findings are based on responses of 1.3 million vehicles owned or leased by subscribers to Consumer Reports or its website, www.ConsumerReports.org. The survey was conducted in the spring of 2011 by Consumer Reports' National Survey Research Center and covered model years 2002 to 2011, the magazine said.

General Motors has stumbled after edging up last year. The Buick and Cadillac brands, in particular, appear to have taken a step backward; Chevrolet held steady and GMC dropped one spot. The new Buick Regal and Chevrolet Cruze were below par in reliability. The Buick LaCrosse, an all-wheel-drive version of the Buick Enclave, and the Cadillac SRX were all deemed reliable last year but dropped to below average and are no longer recommended, the publication said.

Japanese brands continue to dominate Consumer Reports survey's upper echelons and took the top nine spots. They were led by Scion, Lexus, Acura, Mazda, Honda, and Toyota. Of the 91 Japanese models for which Consumer Reports has sufficient data, 87 (96 percent) were rated average or better in predicted reliability; 24 Japanese models earned the highest rating, the magazine said.

Chrysler Group officials issued the following response regarding Consumer Reports 2011 Annual Auto Survey:
 
Consumer Reports announced the findings of their closely watched Annual Auto Survey, stating that the Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge brands all improved in the industry rankings, and that the Jeep brand moved up seven spots to become the "most reliable domestic brand."

 "In the past, Consumer Reports has been critical of our older products," Doug Betts, Senior Vice President?Quality, said. "We are pleased to see the strong movement of our brands in this important survey. Having Jeep named the highest-ranking domestic brand for reliability comes after many long days and a lot of work in the past three years by our team, as Chrysler Group consistently outpaced the industry's average rate of improvement for reliability."

While the Jeep brand is now the highest ranking domestic brand in Consumer Reports' reliability rankings, the Chrysler brand made the biggest leap in the industry, moving up 12 positions. Chrysler's results were driven by the strong reliability of the new Chrysler 200. The Chrysler 300 recently received an "excellent" road test score from Consumer Reports, but the magazine did not collect enough subscriber surveys due to the timing of the 300's market launch for it to be included in this year's reliability report.

Although the 2011 Town & Country was the highest-ranked minivan in the J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Survey, it did not fare as well among Consumer Reports subscribers, and Chrysler Group plans to follow up with Consumer Reports to better understand their survey results.

Consumer Reports noted that some automakers struggled with reliability for new model launches, while "Chrysler (Group) had better results with its new models," including the Dodge Durango, Chrysler 200 and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

"Even though we launched 16 new or significantly updated vehicles for the 2011 model year, our reliability improved for all brands," Betts said. "Our new team has devoted significant resources to interior refinement, improved performance, world-class fit-and-finish and more rigorous reliability testing. For example, we've increased the reliability testing miles by 50 percent for all our products."

The Dodge brand (which includes Ram Truck results) moved up three positions in the industry rankings. The 2012 Fiat 500 did not have sufficient survey sample size to be included in this year's report.

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