Consumer Reports Automobile Reliability Report is Out

[Another Reader]

Hey, W2R! We have been vindicated! Consumer Reports says all those fancy touch screens and other doo-dads are causing problems and reducing reliability ratings. Honda really dropped. The turbos are part of it, but there are other issues.

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars/

https://www.consumerreports.org/car...ose-cr-recommendation-car-reliability-survey/

Drive that Venza another ten years!

 

[aja8888]

Hey, W2R! We have been vindicated! Consumer Reports says all those fancy touch screens and other doo-dads are causing problems and reducing reliability ratings. Honda really dropped. The turbos are part of it, but there are other issues.

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars/

https://www.consumerreports.org/car...ose-cr-recommendation-car-reliability-survey/

Drive that Venza another ten years!

With the exception of a few cars being reported to have suspension and hard shift problems, the bulk of complaints are for the infotainment systems and A/C/heat controls. Goes to show you that the mechanical reliability (the stuff that makes the car go) is not that big an issue with the vast majority of car brands.

"Sir: What's the biggest issue with your $90,000 Audi Q7 SUV?"

Owner: "Well, when streaming my Pandora from my phone, the screen sometimes locks up! What the heck, why can't AUDI make a reliable car?"

 

[6miths]

Yes I am just out new car shopping and have been looking carefully at the CR Reports. Has been interesting to shop the new cars.

 

[Walt34]

Yet another reason I'm hanging on to my 2003 GMC pickup truck. I am not a fan of lots of bell's 'n whistles that are expensive to fix when they break. I just want a reliable vehicle.

 

[Jerry1]

"Sir: What's the biggest issue with your $90,000 Audi Q7 SUV?"

Owner: "Well, when streaming my Pandora from my phone, the screen sometimes locks up! What the heck, why can't AUDI make a reliable car?"

Yeah, I don’t know why they don’t program a reset/reboot switch into these things. So many of the issues I’ve had were solved by restarting the car. Of course that’s not possible whilst one is driving so it turns into a frustrating experience.

 

[aja8888]

Yet another reason I'm hanging on to my 2003 GMC pickup truck. I am not a fan of lots of bell's 'n whistles that are expensive to fix when they break. I just want a reliable vehicle.

My 1998 Ford F150 Lariat PU with 47K miles on it is plenty for me. Plus, it's not loaded up with 7 computers and gobs of electrical sensors. I did put a touch screen radio in it though for Bluetooth and also installed a backup camera. Those upgrades cost me $295 from Crutchfield (self install).

 

[travelover]

I agree. They need a "bullsh!t delete" option where you get radio and heater controls that are easy to adjust without looking.

 

[Midpack]

I can’t remember when I’ve bought any car without consulting CR, and I’ve never bought a car that wasn’t at least better than average. YMMV

 

[W2R]

Hey, W2R! We have been vindicated! Consumer Reports says all those fancy touch screens and other doo-dads are causing problems and reducing reliability ratings. Honda really dropped. The turbos are part of it, but there are other issues.

YAY! I just KNEW it. Plus, they take all the fun out of driving (for me). I hope this means that some manufacturers may reduce the unnecessary electronics gadgets.

Drive that Venza another ten years!

I just might. I only have 29,600 miles on it in the past nine years, and in ten years I'll be 80 and probably be driving a lot less.

Yet another reason I'm hanging on to my 2003 GMC pickup truck. I am not a fan of lots of bell's 'n whistles that are expensive to fix when they break. I just want a reliable vehicle.

+1000 EXACTLY!! Hang on to that pickup. It's better than any new vehicle I seem to be able to find today.

 

[JoeWras]

Complicated unreliable HVAC systems (simply because of their controls) really ticks me off!


Give me a knob.

 

[CoolRich59]

Yeah, I don’t know why they don’t program a reset/reboot switch into these things. So many of the issues I’ve had were solved by restarting the car. Of course that’s not possible whilst one is driving so it turns into a frustrating experience.

Great point. Several times I've had Apple's CarPlay freeze up and say it can't detect my phone. So, I'm forced to either continue without audio, google maps, etc. or pull over and restart the engine.

I know it's a first-world problem, but irks me nonetheless.

 

[Moemg]

I can’t remember when I’ve bought any car without consulting CR, and I’ve never bought a car that wasn’t at least better than average. YMMV

My Honda Crv was highly rated by CR and it was a dog . The air conditioning went at 35,000 miles and the paint was coming off in chunks .

 

[Car-Guy]

I've had 6 new vehicles in the past 5 years and haven't had any mechanical or electrical problems with any of them. (2 Toyota's trucks, 1 GM car and 3 FCA SUV's) I like all the latest bells, whistles, gadgets and especially the latest transmissions and supercharged engines.


My biggest issue is remembering how things work when switching between vehicles. Common things like wipers, cruise control, lights, etc, are usually activated by switches, knobs, buttons, in different locations on different vehicles. Heck even the nav systems and XM radios work different between vehicles. At least the accelerator, brake pedals and steering wheels are all in the same places. (so far)


I'll admit that the latest infotainment/configuration systems are getting pretty complex and sometimes finding what you want in all the menus can get a little frustrating.

 

[Chuckanut]

Great point. Several times I've had Apple's CarPlay freeze up and say it can't detect my phone. So, I'm forced to either continue without audio, google maps, etc. or pull over and restart the engine.

I know it's a first-world problem, but irks me nonetheless.

It may be a 1st world problem, but it leaves me wondering if the people who design these products actually use them.

 

[aja8888]

My Honda Crv was highly rated by CR and it was a dog . The air conditioning went at 35,000 miles and the paint was coming off in chunks .

If you read the CR links above, you will see that Honda has been talking the lumps recently in the ratings.

 

[ERD50]

Complicated unreliable HVAC systems (simply because of their controls) really ticks me off!


Give me a knob.

My 2017 Buick is a pretty good blend. Knobs/buttons for heat/AC/fan, knob for radio volume, and I think pause, back, forward. Other radio/flash-drive-audio stuff is through the touch screen - it's pretty lousy for anything beyond just switching stations (which can be done through buttons on the steering wheel too).

The navigation system is mostly a joke in terms of the user interface (included in the trim level I wanted - I never would pay for it). I can use my phone and Google maps if I plug it in through USB, and Google maps now supports off-line maps, so I don't need to eat up data with the navigation.

-ERD50

 

[Jerry1]

My biggest issue is remembering how things work when switching between vehicles. Common things like wipers, cruise control, lights, etc, are usually activated by switches, knobs, buttons, in different locations on different vehicles. Heck even the nav systems and XM radios work different between vehicles. At least the accelerator, brake pedals and steering wheels are all in the same places. (so far)

I should comment on this under pet peeves. I have two Chevy's. On one, the switch on the left is the wipers. On the other car, that exact same switch is the lights. So when it rains, I turn off the lights. I can't believe the engineers of the same company used the exact same switch for two different purposes - especially the lights and the wipers. It's not just in the same location, it's the exact same switch (location, feel and operation).

 

[6miths]

Complicated unreliable HVAC systems (simply because of their controls) really ticks me off!

Give me a knob.

My sentiments exactly. Good news is that many of the manufacturers seem to be getting the message. The Subarus, Mazdas and Toyotas I looked at all had knobs for both heat and fan settings. A few even had knobs for the mode setting. Progress!! I had a 2018 Honda Civic as a rental recently and it was a total touch screen radio disaster. I am a life long Honda/Acura driver and didn't even look at the Hondas this time around. The infotainment system on our Odyssey was such a pain and the Civic experience sealed it.

 

[Texas Proud]

Funny as I was talking to one of my sisters who has a new Tundra... said that when she is driving the nav system will freeze at times... has to reboot it over and over...



The dealership said they have not heard about it, but sis said it is a complaint on a number of forums...

 

[Mr. Tightwad]

I can’t remember when I’ve bought any car without consulting CR, and I’ve never bought a car that wasn’t at least better than average. YMMV

You proved me wrong, because on another thread I said "Who pays attention to CR for automotive purchases?"

I still say their hey day was 20 or 30 years ago. Since this is a retirement forum CR probably is well read by our members. But I'm skeptical too many 20 or 30 year olds are checking CR for advice about anything.

I did read it today. Checked out from the library, of course.

 

[NW-Bound]

Hey, W2R! We have been vindicated! Consumer Reports says all those fancy touch screens and other doo-dads are causing problems and reducing reliability ratings. Honda really dropped. The turbos are part of it, but there are other issues.

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/who-makes-the-most-reliable-cars/

https://www.consumerreports.org/car...ose-cr-recommendation-car-reliability-survey/

Drive that Venza another ten years!

You ain't seen nothing yet. Wait till they put out scary self-driving cars with flaky electronics. You may have to abandon your car and jump out like this woman did.

 

[Red Badger]

And I thought alcohol fueled cars were only at the drag strip.

 

[Chuckanut]

You proved me wrong, because on another thread I said "Who pays attention to CR for automotive purchases?"

I still say their hey day was 20 or 30 years ago. Since this is a retirement forum CR probably is well read by our members. But I'm skeptical too many 20 or 30 year olds are checking CR for advice about anything.

I did read it today. Checked out from the library, of course.

You may be right.

OTOH, CR has an increasing presence on social media. And they do present information the way the younger folks are used to getting it with article like - Five reasons you should replace you tired old waffle maker now!.

The magazine, and now the online site, has saved me thousands in purchasing costs, perhaps more in repair and maintenance costs, and incredible amounts of time waiting to get things fixed.

Are they perfect? No. But, they are better than any other consumer oriented site.

 

[RunningBum]

You may be right.

OTOH, CR has an increasing presence on social media. And they do present information the way the younger folks are used to getting it with article like - Five reasons you should replace you tired old waffle maker now!.

This woman bought a poorly rated waffle maker...what happened next will amaze you! Watch now!

 

[fosterscik]

You may be right.

OTOH, CR has an increasing presence on social media. And they do present information the way the younger folks are used to getting it with article like - Five reasons you should replace you tired old waffle maker now!.

The magazine, and now the online site, has saved me thousands in purchasing costs, perhaps more in repair and maintenance costs, and incredible amounts of time waiting to get things fixed.

Are they perfect? No. But, they are better than any other consumer oriented site.

I used to be a religious CR reader, with a multi year subscription, but I no longer use it. Probably due to the difficulty of consulting it. I don't like its online paywall and its too much hassle to go to my local library.
Now my go to site for product information is wire cutter. I have not been steered wrong yet although only have used it for sub-$1k purchases so far.
Check it out: http://www.wirecutter.com