Toyota and Lexus Dominate 2004 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study

TORRANCE, Calif., June 29 -- Toyota and Lexus once again dominated the 2004 J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study which tracks the number and type of problems owners have with their three-year-old vehicles. Lexus was the top nameplate for the 10th consecutive year and Toyota and Lexus vehicles earned seven awards, more than twice the number earned by any other manufacturer.

The Lexus LS 430 premium luxury sedan had the fewest problems per 100 vehicles of any car in the study for the 10th consecutive year. On the truck/SUV side, the Lexus LX 470 luxury utility vehicle had the fewest problems per 100 of any truck/SUV in the study. Other segment leaders for Lexus included the RX 300 luxury utility vehicle and the ES 300 luxury sedan.

Toyota vehicles ranked highest in their segments included Avalon, Corolla, MR2 Spyder and 4Runner.

"This goes to show that Toyota and Lexus vehicles stand the test of time," says Bob Daly, Toyota group vice president of customer services. "We excel because we design quality and durability into every vehicle we make. Our customers know that when they buy our cars, and it's what keeps them coming back."

The VDS study finds long-term dependability continues to drive purchase consideration. More than one-half (52 percent) of new-vehicle buyers indicated that "long-term dependability" is among their most important purchase decision factors.