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News, Analysis and EditorialCR's
April 2004 Reliability Tables Indicate Some Changes in Short Term
Reliability, but Infiniti, Honda, Toyota, Lexus, and Acura Remain Dominant
by this Measure As Well
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Auto on Info March 2004 CR's April 2004 Reliability Tables Indicate Some Changes in Short Term Reliability, but Infiniti, Honda, Toyota, Lexus, and Acura Remain Dominant by this Measure As Well To ascertain what changes may have occurred in the short term reliability of each major motor vehicle line sold in the U.S., the following was done:
Rebadges were excluded in the computations, unless the rebadge lowered the line's average, as did Honda's Passport. The following table gives the results for each line that had at least four columns - four model-years - of first three-year reliability statistics in the April 2004 issue.
From the table, Jeep had the biggest improvement in the first three-year reliability index , +.66, but its current first three-year reliability index value remains very low, -.22. Buick had the second highest increase in its initial three-year reliability index value, +.43; this increase gave it a current initial three-year reliability index value that is the seventh highest and is above Nissan's. Saab's early reliability index value plunge of -.83 may not be reflective of its true change, as last year's index value was based on only four model-years. Although the changes in short term reliability index values may generally indicate shifts in early reliability, in many instances it may merely be statistical fluctuation. In other instances, new models played a significant role in raising or lowering a line's overall early reliability, a phenomenon that may be short-lived. With regard to the Buick line, it seems safe to say that the line's short term reliability has had a bump up; however, it still remains to be seen whether its post-2000 models will have an improvement in the fourth and fifth years after manufacture. More generally, an interesting question is whether this volatility in short term reliability will have a significant, or any, effect on medium term and longer term reliability. |
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