Tag Archives: consumer reports

Almost All New US Light Vehicles have Automatic Braking

Posted on 29 December 2023 by Ken Zino

All 20 participating automakers have fulfilled a voluntary pledge to equip nearly all the light vehicles they produce for the U.S. market with automatic emergency braking (AEB), according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Five new manufacturers installed AEB on more than 95% of the light vehicles they produced between 1 September 2022 and 31 August 2023, to meet the deadline set in a previous agreement.* General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Maserati and Porsche all dramatically increased the proportion of their vehicles equipped with the technology to meet the target. Kia, which was already close last year, also crossed the finish line.

Audi, BMW, Ford/Lincoln, Honda/Acura, Hyundai/Genesis, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan/Infiniti, Stellantis, Subaru, Tesla, Toyota/Lexus, Volkswagen and Volvo fulfilled the voluntary commitment in previous years. Continue reading →

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Ford Out of Car Biz? 2019 Fusion Debuts in New York

Posted on 27 March 2018 by Ken Zino

What else to do when the stock is languishing or comatose on Wall Street at ~$10-12 a share after eight straight years of expanding U.S. vehicle sales. Continue reading →

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Tesla True Believers Note Quality Problems, Still Love Brand

Posted on 24 March 2017 by Ken Zino

Quality troubles accompanying Tesla Model S and Model X have little influence on the gushing affection Tesla True Believers have for these cars and the brand. Continue reading →

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2016 Reliability Study – Ford F150 Not Recommended

Posted on 24 October 2016 by Ken Zino

Fiat-Chrysler continue to be a depressing example of Detroit’s lack of quality or care for its customers. The Fiat 500L, the most defect-prone new car for the past two years, is now only the seventh-most troublesome. No Fiat or Ram vehicle managed even an average reliability rating. Continue reading →

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Infotainment Defects Grow in Latest Auto Reliability Data

Posted on 28 October 2013 by Ken Zino

The 2013 Annual Auto Reliability rankings revealed today before the Automotive Press Association in Detroit shows that General Motors and the Chrysler Group have barely average reliability, while Ford Motor continues to do poorly. Continue reading →

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Consumer Reports Claims 47 MPG Ford Hybrid Claims are Bogus in Real World Driving. Another EPA Mileage Scam Exposed?

Posted on 7 December 2012 by Ken Zino

Consumer Reports say that it can’t duplicate Ford Motor’s 47 city/47 highway/47 comb­­­ined mpg claim for the new Fusion and C-Max hybrids. In CR tests, the Fusion Hybrid provided 39 mpg overall, 35 city and 41 during highway conditions. For the C-Max Hybrid, CR got 37 mpg overall, with 35 and 38 for city and highway. “These two vehicles have the largest discrepancy between our overall-mpg results and the estimates published by the EPA that we’ve seen among any current models,” said CR. Continue reading →

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Consumer Reports Auto Tester David Champion Joins Nissan

Posted on 22 August 2012 by Ken Zino

Nissan today announced the hiring of former Consumer Reports Auto Test Center Senior Director, David Champion, for a newly created position of executive adviser, competitive assessment and quality. The Japanese automaker is launching five new vehicles in 15 months, and its quality reputation is decidedly uneven. Consumer Reports rates 13 of 25 Nissan and Infiniti models this year as recommended buys. The J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability report has both Nissan and Infiniti well below industry average. Continue reading →

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Ford, Lincoln Change Touch Screens after Quality Ratings Dive

Posted on 6 March 2012 by Ken Zino

While Ford keeps claiming its customers want electronic features such as MyFord Touch, saying 56% of them rate the technology as an “important” part of the buying decision, its quality and customer satisfaction ratings by users as measured from independent sources have plummeted during the three years since introduction. Continue reading →

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Honda Recalls Grass Trimmers for Laceration Hazard as Consumer Reports Bumps Honda out of First Place in Autos

Posted on 28 February 2012 by Ken Zino

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada today announced a voluntary recall of about 17,600 Honda grass trimmers. The latest Honda safety recall came as Consumer Reports said that Subaru for the first time has earned the top score in automaker report cards for 2012. Honda, the winner for the past four years, slipped to fourth place among 13 major automakers behind Mazda and Toyota. Continue reading →

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Toyota Leads Auto Brands in New Consumer Perception Study

Posted on 24 January 2012 by Ken Zino

What this really means to auto marketers is unclear as automakers are facing another tough year in the U.S. as the economy languishes and long-term unemployment remains at record highs not seen since the Great Depression. Preliminary sales data for January indicate another weak month for automakers who are now watching brand reputations level out. Continue reading →

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The Latest Safety Problem – Deferred Auto Maintenance?

Posted on 21 December 2011 by Ken Zino

The latest pernicious problem of the flagging U.S. economy comes in the guise of drivers who deferred auto maintenance at the potential cost of their safety. According to a new survey, 40% of respondents who are involved in repair decisions said they are postponing car maintenance or repairs on their primary vehicle. Continue reading →

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Chrysler Up, GM Sideways, Ford Down in Consumer Reports Annual Reliability Survey Revealed Today at APA in Detroit

Posted on 25 October 2011 by Ken Zino

Chrysler staged a quality comeback of sorts. General Motors did not sustain last year’s trend of improvement. Ford slipped badly in the 2011 Consumer Reports Reliability Survey revealed today at APA. Japanese brands continue to dominate Consumer Reports survey’s best rankings. Japanese brands took the top nine spots. They were led by Scion, Lexus, Acura, Mazda, Honda, and Toyota. Continue reading →

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Survey Finds Most Buyers Won’t Downsize With Next Vehicle Purchase. Trouble for Automakers facing 35.5 mpg CAFE?

Posted on 15 April 2011 by Ken Zino

Offsetting the downsizing trend are 19% of respondents who said they plan to buy a larger vehicle. How this all sorts out in the marketplace is a complicated issue for automakers, who need to average 35.5 mpg by 2016, with cars needing to average 42 mpg. Continue reading →

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