Consumer Reports Yanks Honda Civic Recommendation
October 24 2016 - 2:30PM
Dow Jones News
Consumer Reports has pulled its recommendation for the Honda
Civic after owners of the popular compact car reported many
reliability issues, representing yet another ding to the Japanese
car maker which in recent years has struggled to maintain its
stellar quality reputation.
The influential product-review magazine pointed to several
problems on the redesigned Civic—ranging from electronics failures
to entire dashboard consoles needing replacement—as reasons for
withdrawing its coveted stamp of approval for the second time in
five years.
Jake Fisher, head of auto testing for Consumer Reports, said
this is the first time in recent memory the magazine has yanked its
recommendation of the Civic for poor reliability scores, a surprise
given Honda's long record for finishing near the top of the
magazine's quality rankings.
Honda slipped two notches to no. 10 in Consumer Reports' latest
reliability study released on Monday, while rival Toyota Motor
Corp. held steady with its Toyota and Lexus brands topping the list
of most reliable brands.
Honda, in a statement, said it values both customer and
third-party feedback and will continue "working diligently to
enhance the usability and functionality of these in-demand
technologies in our unrelenting effort to create new value for our
customers."
General Motors Co.'s Buick brand jumped four spots to no. 3 in
the latest rankings, making it the first domestic brand in more
than three decades to break into the top three for reliability.
Nissan Motor Co.'s luxury Infiniti brand climbed 16 notches to land
in the top 10.
"We see across the board as auto makers introduce complex
electronic systems they're having more problems," Mr. Fisher
said.
Honda made extensive design changes when it overhauled the Civic
for the 2016 model year, increasing the chances of problems
occurring, he added.
Whereas Honda once took a more conservative approach to model
redesigns—phasing in major changes over several years rather than
all at once—it has become more aggressive in recent years in moving
quickly to introduce new technology, Mr. Fisher said.
In 2011, Consumer Reports dropped its recommendation for the
2012 Honda Civic, citing "lower interior quality" and "a choppy
ride, long-stopping distances and pronounced road noise."
Honda has also encountered other quality woes in recent years
related to problems with faulty Takata Corp. air bags and multiple
recalls on its subcompact Fit.
GM continues to improve in Consumer Reports' reliability
rankings with its Chevrolet brand climbing five spots to no. 15.
The Detroit car maker, however, continues to struggle with its
large trucks and sport-utility vehicles, Mr. Fisher said, with the
Cadillac Escalade ranking among the least reliable vehicles in this
year's study.
Ford Motor Co. fell one spot to no. 18, mostly because of
problems with the dual-clutch transmissions in the Focus and Fiesta
small-car models, while four brands owned by Fiat Chrysler
Automobiles NV—Ram, Fiat, Chrysler and Dodge—ranked at the bottom
of the pack in reliability.
Consumer Reports restored its recommendation for Tesla Motors
Inc.'s Model S sedan after yanking the accolade last year due
problems, ranging from battery charging issues to leaky
sunroofs.
Tesla's overall score, however, landed it fifth from the bottom
as continued reliability problems with its Model X sport-utility
vehicle continue to dog its quality performance.
Write to Christina Rogers at christina.rogers@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 24, 2016 14:15 ET (18:15 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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