Guest Post: TrueDelta Reliability Update

by Michael Karesh

Published: September 16th, 2013

Car reliability has improved dramatically since the 1990s, much less the dreadful 1970s and 1980s. But is it yet safe to buy a redesigned car in its first model year? Or do early buyers still serve as unpaid beta testers?

TrueDelta updates its reliability stats quarterly in part because this allows us to report on redesigned cars sooner. The latest update includes owner experiences through the end of June 2013 (scores elsewhere are about 14 months behind).

Among models that were redesigned or refreshed last fall, can you guess which group scored well, which has had a few problems, and which earned some (now rare) unhappy faces?

Group 1: Audi A4 (and related models), Honda Accord, Lexus RX, Nissan Pathfinder / Infiniti JX

Group 2: Acura RDX, Buick Enclave / Chevrolet Traverse / GMC Acadia, Dodge Dart, Ford Escape, Ford Fusion, Mazda CX-5, Scion FR-S / Subaru BRZ

Group 3: Ford C-MAX, Hyundai Santa Fe, Nissan Altima

Even in the unhappy group, most of the reported repairs involve minor problems (e.g. a vibration-prone mirror in the CX-5, a chirping fuel pump in the FR-S, and flaky power tailgate latches in two Fords). Few cars have serious problems during the warranty period.

This update also already includes the 2014 CX-5. It scored about the same as the 2013. Initial data on the 2014 Mazda6 and Subaru Forester suggest that both have enjoyed a smoother start than the CX-5.

The most consistently reliable model in the survey continues to be the Honda CR-V. Also worth noting: the current BMW 3-Series and 5-Series seem much more reliable than their predecessors, at least so far.

The next update, in November, will include more solid results for the early 2014s. The more people participate, the more models we can cover (for the past 15 model years) and the more precise these stats will be.

To view over 600 updated repair trips per year stats:

Car Reliability Survey results

Michael Karesh operates TrueDelta, a provider of car reliability, real-world fuel economy, and price comparison information.

Michael Karesh

Michael Karesh lives in West Bloomfield, Michigan, with his wife and three children. In 2003 he received a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. While in Chicago he worked at the National Opinion Research Center, a leader in the field of survey research. For his doctoral thesis, he spent a year-and-a-half inside an automaker studying how and how well it understood consumers when developing new products. While pursuing the degree he taught consumer behavior and product development at Oakland University. Since 1999, he has contributed auto reviews to Epinions, where he is currently one of two people in charge of the autos section. Since earning the degree he has continued to care for his children (school, gymnastics, tae-kwan-do...) and write reviews for Epinions and, more recently, The Truth About Cars while developing TrueDelta, a vehicle reliability and price comparison site.

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3 of 107 comments

Romanjetfighter on Sep 16, 2013

I don't really care about fixable issues post-warranty anymore. I care about fit and finish. I hate creaking and rattling. My 4 year old Camry's doors creak when I hit bumps, the whole transmission tunnel covering groans when I lean on the armrest, the IP creaks when I push to open a compartment, etc. How on earth do you fix that without taking it completely apart?

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Big Al from Oz on Sep 17, 2013

The quality of motor vehicles has indeed improved over the past 20 years, especially the US manufactured vehicles from the Big 3. A lot of this has to do with competition. Even globally outside of the US vehicles are shipped around the world from many countries and the quality of a vehicle is significant for a company to sell. I do agree with Vulpine that vehicles aren't designed to go much further than 200 000km or 10 years. They are designed to be recycled. It isn't only motor vehicle quality that has improved, most items we use within our households have improved. Much of this improvement is due to the reduction of humans involved in the design and manufacturing process. Computers, the end all and be all of our modern society. IC's are in most everything we use from a toaster to measuring oxygen levels in our intakes.

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- Golden2husky on Sep 17, 2013
  
  Don't think you can say that 10 years is a design parameter. My station car is 21 years old and spent its entire life outside. Given to me by my mother, it only has 130K on it, but it is a very high cycle car. The first half of its life it was used nearly daily for only a few miles a day. Such use brings out the end-of-life for odd parts, like the springs in the driver door handle (inside and out), the ignition lock, etc.
  
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