Vehicles continue to improve in the area of dependability. That’s according to a new J.D. Power study.

“But I wouldn’t say that everything is rosy,” Dave Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power, said in a news release.

At first glance, some of the study results appear pretty rosy. Overall dependability for 3-year-old vehicles improved 4 percent over last year, according to J.D. Power’s 2019 U.S. Vehicle Dependability study released on Wednesday.

The study measures the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100) during the past 12 months by original owners of 3-year-old model-year vehicles. The study, which took place from October to December of 2018, is based on responses from 32,952 original owners of 2016 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership.

For the eighth consecutive year, Lexus ranked highest in overall vehicle dependability among all brands, with a score of 106 PP100. Porsche and Toyota tied for second with 108 PP100, while Chevrolet and Buick followed.  

Lexus also ranked highest among luxury brands, while Toyota was the leader among mass-market brands.

The year 2019 marked the first time the study awarded a “most dependable model.” That honor went to the Porsche 911.

But although the study shows that vehicles are more reliable than ever, the earlier comment from Sargent at J.D. Power refers in part to the fact that automakers are still dealing with problems such as voice recognition, transmission shifts and battery failures.

“Flawless dependability is a determining factor in whether customers remain loyal to a brand, so manufacturers need to help customers who are currently experiencing vehicle problems and address these trouble spots on future models,” Sargent said in a news release.

The 2019 study measures problems in 2016 model-year vehicles. A lower score shows higher quality, and the study addresses 177 specific problems grouped into eight major vehicle categories.  

Chrysler is the most-improved brand, with a reduction of 65 PP100 since 2018. The MINI (improvement of 34 PP100) and Subaru (improvement of 31 PP100) also showed strong gains.

General Motors led with five segment awards, for the Buick LaCrosse, Buick Verano, Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Silverado HD and Chevrolet Sonic. Toyota Motor Corp. was second with four segment awards, with the Lexus ES, Lexus GX, Toyota Camry and Toyota Tundra leading the way.

One key finding of the 2019 study is that vehicle dependability improved, but at a slower rate. The industry average for 2019 is 136 PP100, an improvement of 6 PP100 from last year. That is a lower rate of improvement than 2018 compared with 2017.

Another notable finding: For the first time, mass-market brands performed better in dependability than luxury brands.

Also, German brands are gaining in dependability, with Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen all showing improvement. For the first time in the 30 years of the study, German brands exceed the industry average.

“The used-vehicle market is where dealers can see increased profits this year,” Jonathan Banks, vice president of vehicle analysis and analytics at J.D. Power, said in a news release. “Stocking dealership lots with vehicles having strong dependability scores will help support new-vehicle sales in the future, create a positive brand perception and drive foot traffic.”

Following is the 2019 brand ranking by PP100, shared by J.D. Power:

Lexus: 106
Porsche: 108
Toyota: 108
Chevrolet: 115
Buick: 118
MINI: 119
BMW: 122
Audi: 124
Hyundai: 124
Kia: 126
Infiniti: 128
Volkswagen: 131
Mercedes-Benz: 134
Subaru: 136
Industry average: 136
Nissan: 137
Chrysler: 146
Ford: 146
Honda: 146
Lincoln: 147
Mitsubishi: 158
Mazda: 159
GMC: 161
Cadillac: 166
Jeep: 167
Jaguar: 168
Acura: 171
Ram: 171
Dodge: 178
Volvo: 204
Land Rover: 221
Fiat: 249

More survey results are available at https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2019-us-vehicle-dependability-studyvds