Toyota, Honda `Dominate' Consumer Reports Reliability Survey

Toyota Motor Corp., which has recalled more than 10 million vehicles in the past year, tied with Honda Motor Co. for the most models with top scores in Consumer Reports’ annual reliability survey, Bloomberg reported.

Toyota and Honda each led in five categories and continue to “dominate” the ratings, the Yonkers, N.Y.-based magazine said in a statement today. Ford Motor Co. was the only U.S. automaker with top scores, in two categories. General Motors Co. improved the most among the domestic companies.

Most of the recalls at Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, followed reports of sudden, unintended acceleration, which caused the company to slow its vehicle-development process and scrutinize suppliers. Toyota’s U.S. market share fell 1.4 percentage points to 15.2 percent this year through September, according to Autodata Corp. in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

“There’s a difference between actually having problems and having your car recalled,” Jake Fisher, senior automotive engineer at Consumer Reports’ vehicle test center, said in a telephone interview. “While the recalls were widespread, the actual problems people were having associated with those recalls were much smaller.”

Consumer Reports based its findings on responses of subscribers who owned or leased 1.3 million cars and trucks.

For Toyota City, Japan-based Toyota, the Yaris small car, FJ Cruiser mid-size sport-utility vehicle, Lexus LX luxury SUV, Sienna minivan with V-6 engine and front-wheel drive and Tundra full-size pickup truck led in Consumer Reports’ categories.

Tokyo-based Honda’s top scorers were the front-wheel-drive Acura TL for upscale cars, Acura RL luxury car, CR-V small SUV, Acura RDX upscale compact SUV and Ridgeline compact pickup.