Toyota/Lexus vehicles “healthiest,” says CarMD

Toyota/Lexus topped the list of manufacturers and vehicles with the fewest number of “check-engine”-related failures and repair costs, according to a new survey by automotive tools provider CarMD.com.

The first annual CarMD Vehicle Health Index ranked vehicles using real-world, statistically-based data for the fewest average repair incidents and lowest average repair costs for model-year 2001 to 2011 vehicles in the U.S.

Toyota had the lowest percentage of red light reports/problems seen, followed in order by Hyundai, Honda, Ford, General Motors, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Kia, Volkswagen and Chrysler.

The top-ranking vehicle was the 2009 Toyota Corolla, which had the lowest combined repair incidents and lowest average repair costs. It was followed in order by the 2008 Honda CR-V, 2007 Honda CR-V, 2009 Honda Accord, 2009 Toyota RAV4, 2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2009 Toyota Camry, 2009 Honda Pilot, 2005 Chevrolet Blazer and 2008 Toyota Highlander.

CarMD said that the most common check-engine repair in the U.S. is a faulty oxygen (O2) sensor, which accounted for about 15 per cent of Toyota’s check-engine repairs over the past year. O2 sensors measure the amount of unburned oxygen in the exhaust and tell the car’s computer when there is too much air or not enough fuel for ideal operation. If a faulty sensor is not replaced, the vehicle’s fuel efficiency can drop by as much as 40 per cent.

 

Courtesy of Autos.ca