A few months ago the reliability survey was reworked to make it more flexible. This has reduced the extreme urgency of the original system, and increased the quantity and the quality of the resulting data. But I haven’t yet found a regular cadence with the new system. So while we started previewing the latest stats in early July, and we publicly released them at the end of August, I’m only writing about them now.
One thing won’t change: even without an attending announcement, we will publicly release updated stats within two months of the end of each quarter. So if you check the site at the end of February, May, August, and November, they’ll be there.
A few days ago I posted about tweaks to the car reliability scales and “faces.” If you feel you’re seeing more yellows and reds in the stats, these are the reason.
Most 2012s have stayed about where they were with the latest update. Highly reliable recently redesigned or updated models include the Audi A6 and A7, FIAT 500, Honda Civic, Honda CR-V, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Veloster, and Subaru Impreza. The Ford Focus isn’t in the top group, but remains much better than you’ll read elsewhere. The new Volkswagen Passat occupies the other end of the rankings along with the Jetta. Owners commonly report rattles for both cars. We also have a preliminary stat for one early 2013, the Mazda CX-5, and so far it appears nearly glitch-free.
To view the updated car reliability stats: