RELIABILITY

Auto Reliability: Consumer Reports Slaps Acura, Cadillac and, Yes, the Tesla Model S

October 20, 2015 by admin 1 Comment

Lexus Pulls a Clean Sweep.

All good things must come to an end. One of those “things” is the ongoing loveliest Consumer Reports has had with Tesla Motors, especially the Model S.

The nonprofit consumer organization released the results of its 2015 Annual Auto Reliability Survey on Tuesday, noting that Lexus, Toyota, Audi, Mazda and Subaru are the most reliable brands. At the same time, CR found that Acura and Cadillac had slipped the most, while Buick’s seventh-place finish accounted for the lone domestic brand ranked in the Top 10.

Perhaps most surprising were the results for the Tesla Model S. CR received approximately 1,400 survey responses from Model S owners and that feedback outlined a pattern of problems with the sedan’s drivetrain, center console, charging equipment, power accessories, along with an assortment of squeaks, rattles and leaks.

As a result of the accumulated data, CR bestowed the Tesla Model S with a worse-than-average predicted reliability score.

The consumer feedback is in stark contrast to CR’s own rating for the Tesla electric sedan. Earlier this year CR noted that the “all-wheel drive Tesla Model S P85D sedan performed better in our tests than any other car ever has, breaking the Consumer Reports Ratings system.”

CR lauded the sedan’s instant acceleration, calling it “brutally quick,” its thrust “forceful and immediate.” The organization also said that the P85D has “better braking and handling” than the standard Model S and pointed out its efficiency, achieving a fuel mileage equivalent of 87 mpg.

CR’s 2015 Annual Auto Reliability Survey weighed information supplied by subscribers covering more than 740,000 vehicles. Both Acura and Cadillac experienced the largest year-over-year drops, with each brand falling by seven places.

Acura was faulted for its in-car electronics and transmissions found in its newest sedans, the RLX and TLX. Similar problems have plagued other manufacturers in recent years including Fiat Chrysler, Nissan, and Ford.

Lexus RC F

Pictured: Lexus RC 350F Sport

Cadillac continued to fall with CR noting complaints about its Cadillac User Experience or CUE infotainment system.

One of the more persistent problems with today’s cars are new transmissions. Complaints about rough shifting and slipping CVT belts have dragged down the scores for several brands. Some of those transmissions involve new systems with eight or nine gears. At the same time, CR praised Audi and BMW for delivering reliable dual-clutch transmissions, while recognizing Toyota and Honda with delivering hybrid models with strong CVTs.

In the CR survey, the organization tracks seven vehicle lines. All seven were led by Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand. CR noted the continued ascendancy of Audi, a brand that once had its share of demons to exorcise. Today, only Lexus and Toyota are ranked higher than the Volkswagen Group’s premium brand.

Hyundai Sonata Turbo

Pictured: Hyundai Sonata Turbo

Kia and Hyundai, Korean manufacturers joined at the hip, placed sixth and ninth respectively in the latest survey. Both brands are enjoying a steady ascendancy with Kia now ranked ahead of Honda.

Most US brands, with Buick the exception continue to perform below average. Chevrolet and GMC are in the bottom third of the rankings and Cadillac has fallen near the bottom. As for Ford, respondents seem pleased with the F-150 and Expedition, but shared complaints about the Mustang, including its body hardware, drive shaft and vehicle stability control systems.

As for Fiat Chrysler, the lone bright spots are its minivans as both the Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan achieved average reliability. As for the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and Fiat brands, they bring up the rear in the annual survey once again.

2016 Fiat 500X

Pictured: Fiat 500X

The annual CR survey will receive its due inspection and dissection, and perhaps more attention than it deserves. Nevertheless, the independent nature of this consumer organization means that the results are objectively dispensed and will be given careful review by car manufacturer executives over the coming days.

Photos copyright Auto Trends Magazine.

2015 Consumer Reports Annual Car Brand Report Cards

February 25, 2015 by admin Leave a Comment

For three years running, Consumer Reports has issued its Annual Car Brand Report Cards. This publication reviewed 28 car brands with a US market presence and assigned scores to each one. Lexus, as usual, topped the list, but there were some surprise moves up and down the ratings that should be noted.

Buick Regal

Consumer Reports says that the Buick Regal is the top sports sedan.

The Buick marque has certainly come a long way in a short time. Six years ago, GM saved Buick and killed Pontiac, a move that resulted in much angst as well as invited a firestorm of criticism. Many had felt that GM was trading a promising, youth-oriented brand for an aged and largely forgotten make with no real purpose.

Well, this week Consumers Report essentially vindicated GM’s decision by recognizing Buick with a Top 10 spot in its latest Consumer Reports Annual Car Brand Report Cards.

Buick’s ascendancy moved it into the seventh spot and that score also represents the second consecutive year that it outperformed the other domestic brands. Buick has enjoyed a strong makeover, one that has yielded several new products, including the Verano and Regal sedans. Furthermore, a 2+2 cabriolet will arrive next year and the Avenir concept has received much praise.

Lexus NX

Lexus is the top brand with this NX its newest model.

Twin Tenets of Grading

Consumer Reports bases its brand report card on two factors: road-test score and predicted reliability. It is only the third year that CR has combined these twin tenets, representing a composite score for models across an entire brand’s line.

Once again, Lexus led all comers with very good scores for road-test performance and exemplary reliability. Mazda took second place, impressing CR’s editors, especially given that half of its models were redesigned in the past three years. Redesigns often are plagued with quality issues initially, what adversely affects scores. But not so with Mazda.

Third, fourth and fifth place were taken by Toyota, Audi, and Subaru respectively. On the other hand, some brands have stumbled in recent years, including Acura and Infiniti. Mercedes-Benz took the biggest tumble, falling from 10th to 21st place. For M-B, CR cited problems with several models, including calling the CLA four-door “coupe” unreliable.

FCA Brands Continue to Lag

FCA brands continue to perform poorly, with Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Fiat each performing near or at the bottom.

Despite the low scores, FCA brands such as Ram and Jeep continue to do well in sales. Indeed, Ram and Jeep have consistently been grabbing a larger slice of the market share pie in the past five years. Will quality concerns catch up with FCA?

Ram ProMaster City

Despite low scores, Ram and other FCA brands continue to thrive.

The Top 10 by Car Category

Besides rating the brands, CR also shared top picks from 10 popular car categories. The winners were tested in three areas: road test, reliability and safety with the publication relying on problems its subscribers reported on 1.1 million vehicles. Crash testing data from the federal government and the IIHS were also considered.

Winning the best overall score was the Tesla Model S. This electric vehicle has been a CR favorite since it arrived for the 2012 model year. The Model S is prized for its sleek exterior, upscale cabin and, of course, for its EV attributes.

Subaru won the most awards, three, by taking the best compact car (Impreza), best midsize car (Legacy) and best SUV (Forester) categories. The Chevrolet Impala finished tops amongst large cars. The Toyota Prius was the foremost green car and another Toyota product, the Highlander, was the best midsize SUV. The Audi A6 won best luxury car honors and the Buick Regal was the top sports sedan. Lastly, the Honda Odyssey was recognized as the best minivan.

Infotainment Systems Take a Beating in Latest Consumer Reports Survey

October 29, 2014 by admin 1 Comment

The Consumer Reports 2014 Annual Reliability Survey is out, what paints a highly critical and negative picture of in-car technologies, particularly infotainment systems. Such systems typically provide audio, information and navigation access, but often do not deliver as promised. Instead, users may find these systems confusing, unreliable or simply unworkable, leading Consumer Reports (CR) to say that they present a “growing reliability plague” for manufacturers.

Consumer Reports took exception with the Infiniti QX60.

Problem First-Year Models

CR especially pointed to flaws found in first-year models for several brands, including Cadillac, Ford, Honda, Infiniti, Fiat, Jeep and Ram, with each having numerous bugs and glitches in their infotainment systems. CR surveyed owners of more than 1.1 million new vehicles, identifying 17 problem areas. Topping the list were in-car electronics, easily outpacing consumer complaints in other areas.

As before, CR found that the Asian brands usually outperformed all others with the American brands finishing far down the pack. Most European brands were in the middle of the pack or toward the end. Audi, however, continues to excel, finishing in the fifth spot for the second consecutive year. Porsche took the ninth position.

Lexus, Toyota, Mazda and Honda nabbed the top four spots. Following Audi, Buick, Subaru, Scion, Porsche and Kia rounded out the top 10. Fiat Chrysler, however, took the last four spots of the 28 brands surveyed with Dodge, Ram, Jeep and Fiat rounding out the group.

And if you think technologies are the sole problem, CR insists otherwise. “Infotainment system problems generally don’t exist in a vacuum,” said Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports, “A close look at the results suggests that cars with a lot of in-car electronic issues usually have plenty of other troubles, too.”

Chrysler Defies the Odds With Strong Sales

Despite the apparent quality issues, Fiat Chrysler continues to thrive. Indeed, the Chrysler Group has experienced 54 consecutive months of year-over-year sales increases through Sept. 2014. Chrysler Group sales are up 15 percent for the year, nearly three times the industry average. The Chrysler Group is seeing Jeep sales up by 45 percent and Ram sales up by 25 percent for the year.

For its report, CR gathered data for 248 models, looking at 17 potential problem areas. From its survey it has been able to accurately point out future problems owners may have with their new vehicles as well as to spot trends.

One trend that isn’t boding well for Infiniti is the reliability of two of its models: the new Q50 sedans and the QX60 crossover. Both models have had their share of problems, causing Infiniti to take the largest plunge of any brand, falling from 6th place last year to the 20th position this year.

Improved Infotainment Systems

CR did find that some manufacturers are making changes that have made their infotainment systems easier to use. CR has criticized Ford and Lincoln for their technologies, but the two Ford Motor Company brands have made steady improvements ever since the organization slammed the 2011 Ford Explorer’s quality. While Ford rose three positions this year, Lincoln had the largest year-over-year increase of any brand, jumping 12 positions to the 15th spot.

Mercedes-Benz fell 11 spots on the heels of introducing its CLA-Class sedan and high-end S-Class. A few of its models, including the GLK utility vehicle and the E-Class V-6 sedan, outperformed the market.

Poor Performers by Segment

American manufacturers need to pay closer attention to certain segments where these vehicles are not performing up to par. CR found that the subcompact Chevy Sonic, the compact Chevy Cruze, the compact Ford Focus and the compact Dodge Dart turbo each performed below average. Large pickup trucks have been a problem too with the Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra and Ram 1500 each performing below average.

Rock Solid Tesla Model S Showing Vulnerabilities Says Consumer Reports

August 13, 2014 by admin 1 Comment

The Tesla Model S is a pure electric vehicle that needs no introduction. Although its overall sales are small compared to the brand wide sales of Mercedes-Benz, Lexus and BMW, the Model S has enabled Tesla Motors to make significant in-roads against Europe’s elites including the Audi A7 and the Mercedes-Benz CLS. Yes, an American sedan has Europe’s finest on the run and it is consistently delivering better quality ratings too.

Tesla Model S

Car of the Year Awards

Over the last two years a parade of critics have lauded the Tesla Model S, bestowing it with various awards, including the 2013 Automobile of the Year award from Automobile magazine as well as from Motor Trend. Consumer Reports, perhaps one of the most influential and independent critics anywhere, reported that it was the best car it had ever tested, awarding the electric sedan with a score of 99 out of 100.

Perhaps the ultimate recognition for the Model S was the five-star crash test rating the 2013 edition earned from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NHTSA noted that the 2013 model earned its highest crash rating ever. The Tesla Model S has retained that rating for 2014.

Accolades aside, it can be easy to overlook problems that may occur with the Model S. Just as easily what problems do occur may become magnified.

NHTSA Safety Investigation

Three incidents of fires raised concern that the Model S was not as safe as some had thought, with the NHTSA investigating two of them. The NHTSA found that there was no “defect trend” present and closed its investigation.

Even so, Tesla Motors updated the sedan’s underbody armor by installing a hollow aluminum bar and a titanium plate. Both shields were designed to deflect road objects; Tesla also raised the height of the sedan while it travels down the road to reduce the chances that it would come in contact with debris noted Wired.

Reliability Score Downgrade Coming?

Since then, feedback about the Model S has continued to give overwhelming praise for the sedan. That is, until Consumer Reports (CR) hinted this week that it may lower the EV’s reliability score when it releases data for the 2014 model in September.

The title to a CR article — Consumer Reports Tesla Model S has more than its share of problems; Chronicling glitches in this luxury electric car — may serve notice that its reliability rating will take a hit. After its initial glowing praise for the EV, CR staff has logged nearly 16,000 more miles and found that there are “many minor problems that merit some reflection.”

Those problems include issues with the automatic retracting door handles, a failed center screen, a broken third-row safety belt buckle, an inoperative front trunk release and other problems.

CR was quick to note that its evidence is based on “a sample size of one” and is “never factored (sic) into our reliability ratings.” CR also offered praise for Tesla’s exceptional service, what includes over the air updates for most software-related issues and personalized service whereby a maintenance tech picks up the car for service and returns it when done. A trailer removes the affected vehicle and a loaner is provided, if needed.

Tesla Model S to Model X

Even with a possible reliability score downgrade it seems likely that Tesla Motors will go from strength to strength. Its original Roadster got everything started, essentially a test model that paved the way for the Model S. An all-new Model X is in the wings and will feature dual motor all-wheel drive. With seating for up to seven adults, the Tesla Model X should retail for just above $70,000 and strike at the heart of the premium SUV segment.

See Also — Tesla Model X Unveiled and Explored