Porsche, Lincoln and Buick Top J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study

J.D. Power has just released its Vehicle Dependability (VDS) Study for 2010, giving the top spot to Porsche, followed closely by Lincoln and Buick. Only one of the three, Buick, was on the podium last year, but has dropped from first to third. Also of significance is the continued slide by Lexus, which finds itself in fourth place this year. Last year Lexus placed third, marking the first time in 14 years the luxury Japanese automaker didn't take first. That's nothing compared to Jaguar, however, which dropped a total of 21 spots from second last year to 22nd for 2010.

Other big movers include Ford, moving up six spots to 8th overall.

Included in this year's results, J.D. Power thought to mention several automakers that placed highly, but which aren't generally considered by consumers due to poor brand perception about reliability. These include Cadillac, Ford, Hyundai, Lincoln and Mercury. No doubt these brands will all see improved brand perception and sales in the years to come.

Despite its recall woes this year, Toyota continues to perform highly, placing sixth overall and taking home the most vehicle segment awards, for models such as the Highlander, Prius, Sequoia and Tundra. Honda, in seventh place overall, took home three for the CR-V, Fit and Ridgeline.

Overall, J.D. Power found that vehicle dependability has improved by 7 percent.

The 2010 Vehicle Dependability Study was based on responses by more than 52,000 vehicle owners with three-year-old (2007) models. Scores are based on the number of problems per 10p vehicles, with lower scores indicating a higher quality.

More: Porsche, Lincoln and Buick Top J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study on AutoGuide.com