2012 Auto Reliability Survey: Cadillac Climbs, Ford Falls

November 9, 2012 2:05 AM " The results of Consumer Reports’ 2012 Annual Auto Reliability Survey are a mixed bag for automakers in the U.S. and Europe. However, Asian brands — especially those from Japan — walked away with consistently high marks.

Methodology

The 2012 Auto Reliability Survey ranked both automakers and individual models according to how often vehicles went in for repairs. For fairness, Consumer Reports limited its survey to vehicles from the past three model years, though 2013 versions of existing models were excluded if they’d been redesigned or significantly refreshed. (That’s in part because revamped models often have technical problems that get ironed out in subsequent years.) To be included, at least 100 units of any given model had to be reported. In all, 1.2 million vehicle reports were included in this year’s survey.

We should point out, however, that the Auto Reliability Survey was based on data from Consumer Reports’ subscribers. And even though setting a minimum of 100 units seems like an accurate sample size for each model, Consumer Reports’ method may not be as representative as other surveys of vehicle owners.

Consumer Reports asked subscribers about serious repair issues they’d experienced over the previous 12 months "

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