Lexus leads JD Power 3 year reliability survey for 14th straigh year

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, California — Lexus leads the industry in vehicle dependability again, according to a new study released Thursday by J.D. Power and Associates. The Toyota Prius won honors as the highest-ranked compact car in the study.

Lexus, which was at the top of 38 nameplates tested this year, has dominated the study for 14 years. There were 120 problems per Lexus sold, Power reported; by comparison, there were 344 problems reported per Land Rover sold.

Lexus also won six segment awards in the study — the most of any nameplate in 2008 — for the ES 330, GX 470, IS 300, LS 430, LX 470 and SC 430. Toyota was in the number-two slot with five segment awards for the Highlander, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia and Tundra.

Saab was singled out as the "most improved brand in the study, although it continues to rank below the industry average," Power said in a statement.

Power noted that long-term vehicle quality improved by 5 percent industry-wide in 2008. Five of the top 10 problems reported industry-wide include: excessive wind noise, noisy brakes, vehicle pulling to the left or right, issues with the instrument panel/dashboard and excessive window fogging.

The 2008 Vehicle Dependability Study is based on a survey of 52,000 original owners of 2005 model-year vehicles.

What this means to you: If dependability is your highest priority, Lexus should be your brand