By Ben Foldy
After tumbling in the rankings last year, electric car maker
Tesla Inc. rebounded slightly in Consumer Reports' latest
automobile reliability survey, with the organization restoring its
recommended rating to two models: the Model 3 and Model S.
While Tesla still ranks in the bottom third of all major car
makers, reliability has improved, particularly on the Model 3, as
the company has increased production and ironed out earlier
manufacturing issues, said Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports' director
of auto testing. Tesla moved up four slots in this year's rankings
to no. 23 out of 30 brands.
The Model X, however, continued to struggle, ranking among the
least reliable models in the annual survey released Thursday.
"There was a kind of chaos as they ramped up production and
finalized the design," Mr. Fisher said. "Things have calmed down,
it's a little more stable and the reliability has improved."
Tesla didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Consumer Reports' closely watched reliability survey, which
ranks 30 brands sold in the U.S. market, is based on data collected
from its members' experiences with more than 400,000 vehicles. Auto
makers are often eager to highlight Consumer Reports' seal of
approval in their marketing campaigns.
Results were mixed for the U.S. and European auto makers, while
the Korean brands -- Hyundai, Kia and Genesis -- closed the quality
gap with the top-rated Japanese car makers, the latest survey
shows.
Consumer Reports has repeatedly dinged Tesla in the past for
reliability and quality issues, most recently pulling its
recommended rating in February for the Model 3 after fielding
complaints from owners of loose body trim and glass defects.
Despite this, the Model 3 -- the company's newest plug-in
electric vehicle -- has helped drive record sales results for Tesla
overall and a surprise profit in the third quarter.
Car companies with recently redesigned models or new
technologies tend to fare worse in the reliability rankings,
largely because they are still working out the kinks, Mr. Fisher
said. Auto makers also struggled with rolling out new features,
such as display screens and new transmissions, a perennial problem
as new technologies can often lead to more complications, he
added.
All three Detroit car companies confronted reliability
challenges with their full-size pickups, a fiercely competitive
market that provides the bulk of their global profits.
Ford Motor Co.'s top-selling F-150 pickup and General Motors
Co.'s Sierra and Silverado large trucks all had below average
reliability, while the Ram 1500 made by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
NV had a similar predicted reliability score, Consumer Reports
found. Mr. Fisher attributed the lackluster ratings to Detroit
facing little truck-market competition.
Fiat Chrysler showed the most improvement of the U.S. car
makers, with the Dodge and Chrysler brands edging up in the
rankings -- an improvement Mr. Fisher said is largely due to an
older lineup and fewer design changes. The company's popular Jeep
brand, however, fell in the latest rankings to no. 26.
Ford finished near the middle of the pack with little change
from the previous survey.
General Motors had a tougher year. The company's best-performing
brand, Buick, still fell five spots while GMC, Chevrolet and
Cadillac finished in the bottom-third. Cadillac ranked last in
reliability.
"While we take this study seriously, it is only one of several
data sources we use to measure customer satisfaction," a GM
spokesman said. The company will analyze the Consumer Reports data
for opportunities to improve, he said.
The Japanese car makers largely held on to the top slots, with
Lexus, Mazda and Toyota taking in the top three in that order. The
Korean brands all three finished in the top 10 as well, with no
model in any of their lineups earning a below-average rating, Mr.
Fisher said.
Challenges rolling out newer and redesigned models hit
Volkswagen, Audi and BMW hard, with all three sinking in the
rankings.
VW's Atlas SUV, which made its debut in 2017, continued to fare
poorly, with owners reporting problems with the car's electronics
and fuel system, Consumer Reports said.
Audi's fall from the top third illustrates how even companies
with strong reliability reputations can encounter challenges when
rolling out new technologies, Mr. Fisher said.
"We've been talking for years about how Audi is really making
quite reliable vehicles," he added. "It can happen to the best of
them."
Audi's feedback on the newly redesigned models has been positive
and the company will be happy to work with Consumer Reports to
address customer concerns, a company spokesman said.
VW didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Write to Ben Foldy at Ben.Foldy@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 14, 2019 15:07 ET (20:07 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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