Chrysler above average, Mercedes in long-term reliability

Chrysler scored above the average in J.D. Power’s three-year reliability survey, which looked at repairs to 2006 vehicles. Jaguar and General Motor’s Buick headed the list this year with just 122 problems per hundred vehicles each; Lexus trailed the American and British firms, with 126 problems per hundred, and Toyota came in close behind at 129. Oddly, the Scion brand, made by Toyota, came in very low, at 222 problems per hundred vehicles – lower than any American vehicles.

Aside from the Grand Caravan topping the minivan charts, no Chrysler vehicle came in at first, second, or third place in their segments. Toyota garnered the highest number of top rankings, with five (Prius, Solara, Highlander, Sequoia, Tundra). The Honda Odyssey did not appear in the top three vans (nor did the Chrysler Town & Country, though it might have been lumped in with the Grand Caravan). Mercedes came in second place for premium sporty car.

The top German brand was Porsche, at 150 per hundred. Chrysler came in at 165, edging out BMW at 166 and the industry average of 170. Mercedes fell at 184, far lower than most luxury brands and substantially lower than Chrysler.

Dodge fared less well, coming in at 202 overall, despite having the highest quality minivan; Dodge was beaten by both Ford and Chevrolet in this measure, but beat Mini, Kia, Pontiac, Mazda, and Volkswagen. Jeep came in at 220, below Kia’s 218 but above Hummer and Scion.

The worst record was held by Suzuki, with 263 problems per hundred vehicles; and by German automaker Volkswagen, with 260.