New Car Reliability | Why Nobody Talks About It...

Why don't "we" talk abotu new car reliability? And by "we" I mean just about every car and truck reviewer out there? Because for brand new cars we simply don't know what those numbers will be like. And since any company out there, Honda and Toyota included, can have a mis-step, its often better to err on the safe side of things quite frankly.

[thelarry]

We all know 94 Celicas are the gold standard of reliability

[wildforthecats]

“Listening too much to Scotty Kilmer.” 😂😎😂😎

[AAutoBuyersGuide]

Note: Consumer Reports is a non-profit and does not accept ads in the magazine, however they do sell ads online and have essentially had paid partnerships with companies like PriceGrabber in the past, I consider that advertising. However, that's neither here nor there as I indicate that this has no influence on their stats. I'm a CR member and have been for a while, I also know plenty of folks that work there and appreciate the work they do. This does not mean however that their predictions are infallible, or subject to a demographic skew because of their membership and available vehicle pool.

[aliendroneservices]

5:28 "Someone's been listening to just a little bit too much Scotty Kilmer."

[hereigoagain]

Wonderful explanation of a tricky subject. I'm a PhD statistician and face these issues all the time. Alex did a great job of explaining them clearly.

[skipsteel]

Alex I like how you address the details of reliability, from the point of view of a statistician. Exposing the more anecdotal information from reality, making people realize that they have hidden biases. For example Consumer Reports car owners VS Performance oriented car owners, to petty quibbles with Infotainment preferences or subsystems failures over actual transmission, or electrical failures that will stop you in your tracks. Thank you!

[stevee]

Dodge is probably reliable because it hasn't released a new model in what, 10 years? The Charger, Challenger, Durango, and Grand Caravan/Journey platforms are all ancient.

[stevensmith]

HOLY CRAP ALEX CALLIN' OUT ALL THE SCOTTY FAN BOIS 💀💀💀💀💀💀

[Mtechthewise]

So many cars could be more reliable if the owners actually read 30% of the owners manual, not just the section on the stereo. Brands that encourage the sales force to drill in the required oil & filter changes versus glossing about "lifetime fluids" are going to get better long-term reliability numbers.

[ThousanWhite]

The pet peeve I have is how the average joe will assume that all makes of any kind must or will have equal reliability. Having worked in the auto industry, this couldn't be futher from the truth. Even though you may have a 2010 Toyota Camry, its reliability may be completely different from a 2009 Toyota Prius versus a 2011 Toyota Corolla versus a 2018 Toyota C-HR. On top of this, the reliability of a specific year, make, and model can also change depending on what trim level, options, transmission, and drivetrain that you have as well. The variables go on and on. On top of this, many of these "same brand" vehicles are made by completely different people, in different plants, under different teams, under different processes, equipment, and standards. Saying that a "Ford" or a "Toyota" or a "Acura" is or isn't reliable doesn't mean as much as it used to under current manufacturing. Having worked in the auto industry for even a short while, reliability is one of those things in our modern era that we shouldn't put as much stock into as maybe we did back in the 70s and 80s when cars are all mostly centrally made in few places and tracking issues and making improvements were difficult and lengthy. Alex is very much proving how expectations and (unintentionally biased) perceptions in the industry do not always correlate with reality and facts about car reliability and quality.

[professerjeeves]

Dodge is reliable at this point due to a tiny model line up and ancient products.

[ALMXDP]

Yeah kinda obvious what the answer was but thank you for providing some clarity on the subject since it keeps coming up time and time again.

[robertpsarudakis]

LOL, "Listening to too much Scotty Kilmer!" I don't think I've missed an episode yet! "Rev up your engines! 'smile'"

[beefuzzy]

and... you have people like my Dad, who was asked the other day how his Toyota Highlander was doing. He said great! no problems. I laughed and started listing all the issues he has had with it. 2005 with 160k miles, roughly $8-10k in repairs and the nav/head unit and rear view cam are still dead.

[tonypi]

Thank you Alex for finally talking about Consumer Reports and JD Power Reliability reports! I read both. They are both tried and tested GUIDES, and the best we have to go on(esp CR). I would closely look at data for the twin Hyundai Palisade(made in Korea) and the Kia Telluride(made in USA) for divergences. You're still the best reviewer on YouTube!

[wildforthecats]

Consumer Reports is good for a general idea on vehicles, but, by no means the end all be all.

[MikesCarInfo]

Well done Alex! I am working on the 100k+ mile review of my 2016 Dodge Challenger. It has been SOLID!
Thank you for maintaining high integrity and not resorting to sensationalism and misinfo to get views :)

[jerseymjm]

Alex is so dang smart! It's always refreshing to hear an automotive journalist that does their research, explains things in a way the consumer can understand, and delivers consistent, quality content! Thank you!

[Xerethane]

Sometimes I think how the Dealer handles you as a customer can be more of a deciding factor than potential reliability in purchasing. For example there's no doubt that in general Toyota has a record of good reliabilty. My parents had a 2006 Toyota Camry that should have been super reliable. Instead the thing was an absolute lemon (9 times in the shop in the first year) but the dealer really didn't handle it well. Had they been better with customer care in the service department they might still have a customer. . Now he drives an Accord for his commute.

[timothywilliams]

I would trust Scotty more, because he isn't sponsored by car makers who has millions of dollars. All Scotty does is talk common sense. He's not getting sponsored by car makers that are getting rich off of car sales. He's a retired car repairman that has worked on all sorts of cars. His knowledge is from experience. Remember that saying. EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER.