Domestics More Dependable

J.D. Power and Associates' annual Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) is good news for domestic U.S. auto makers, all of whom made strong gains in the year, while many European makers saw their fortunes fall.

VDS measures problems identified by U.S. consumers in 3-year old vehicles, primarily in the areas of malfunction; noise, vibration and harshness; and drivability, dependability and safety.

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. retains its No.1 position in overall dependability, with 207 problems per 100 vehicles, closely followed by American Honda Motor Co. Inc., with a score of 210. The industry average is 269.

General Motors Corp. takes the top spot among the domestic U.S. Big Three, with 262. BMW of North America LLC rounds out the top finishers with 264.

Ranking below average:

Joe Ivers, partner and executive director of quality/customer satisfaction at J.D. Power, says the industry average is four points better than last year.