Consumer Reports’ 2014 car reliability survey finds Japan on top

Digging into the Consumer Reports data gold mine, we have again found treasure in the insights shared from more than one million cars in our latest survey. From these ownership nuggets, we can report in detail the problems experienced in cars over the last decade and predict how cars will perform in the year ahead. And this year, there are several key findings. Some of them might surprise you.

Infotainment systems cause lots of problems

Just as a brain surgeon isn’t the best person to do a heart transplant, it turns out automakers aren’t the ideal source for sophisticated, cutting-edge infotainment electronics.  As evidence, these systems remain the leading source of trouble among new cars, especially if it is a brand-new design. The good news: Improvements in previously trouble-prone systems such as MyFord Touch and HondaLink show that automakers can typically work the bugs out of the systems as the years tick by.

Lexus and Toyota stay in front

Once again, Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus proved to be the most reliable brand overall, with Toyota a close second. Part of the secret for accomplishing this feat is that as a rule, Toyota and Lexus usually avoid fully redesigning their products, reusing enough components to support good reliability out of the box.

The most reliable car isn’t necessarily the best car to buy. And vice versa.

The most reliable new car honor goes to Toyota’s Scion xB. Seven years of building the same car gave Toyota plenty of time to get this roomy little box right, but, to drive, the xB lacks refinement and gets worse fuel economy than many larger SUVs. Likewise, the Toyota Tundra wins most reliable pickup truck honors, but even with a new, gigantic grille, it feels well past its sell-by date compared to the much-fresher competition.

More proof that road test scores don’t match reliability: The updated-for-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee rates high in Consumer Reports tests. But recent changes, including a new version of Chrysler’s Uconnect infotainment system, put its reliability into a tailspin. The high-scoring Ram pickup also fell below average in reliability. That’s too bad because we really like driving those models.

Signs of life at the 'new' GM

Look beyond the near-daily barrage of safety recalls. They’re important, but when it comes to things breaking, it looks like the “new” GM has left its prebankruptcy days behind. For the second year in a row, GM is the most reliable domestic car company. Important new products—including the Cadillac CTS, Chevrolet Corvette, and Chevrolet Impala V6—have proven reliable in their first year. Buick is the top domestic brand, with every one of their models being reliable.

Not all GM news is good news, though

The new Chevrolet Silverado/GMC Sierra pickup truck is a problem-child for the company, suffering from many early bugs. They’re the least-reliable new half-ton pickup in our survey. The Chevrolet Cruze, with its turbocharged 1.4-liter engine, is also trouble-prone

Ford improves as its products mature

Ford’s corporate reliability dropped over the last three years as the company moved from conservative product updates to total top-to-bottom redesigns. But as products such as the Fusion and Explorer mature, their bugs are getting worked out. A big reason for the gains: reliability improvements in the MyFord Touch infotainment system. In next year’s survey, we’ll be looking to see if Ford broke its trend and cleanly kicks off its all-new Mustang and F-150 pickup.

And then there’s Fiat-Chrysler Group