Dependability study, lincoln Is No 1

NEW YORK-JD Power and Associates said Thursday, Lincoln took the top spot for the first time in the survey closely watched long-term vehicle quality.

JD Power and Associates said the luxury brand of Ford vehicles leading the annual survey of dependence for 2011. Lexus came as No. 2 in the study, followed by Jaguar, Porsche and Toyota.

This study measures problems experienced by original owners of vehicles after three years. In a study last year, Porsche has the least problem, while Lincoln was ranked second.

U.S. car brand to shrink the gap in initial quality with imported autos, but they are still lagging behind in the long term dependence. US-made trucks and crossovers have more reliability problems than a foreign made. But domestic car perform better than those imported during the long term, according to the survey.

Toyota, which has worked to repair a damaged reputation after considering the big, sweeping seven segment awards, more than any other car this year, JD Power said.

The Japanese company's reputation for quality came under fire after it recalled more than 14 million vehicles since late 2009. U.S. regulators closed their investigation into the world's largest carmaker by sales last month and concluded that electronic flaws were not to blame for reports of sudden, unintended acceleration.

Ford racked up four segment awards, while General Motors and Honda each received three segment awards.

The industry average was 150 problems per 100 vehicles after three years, the lowest rate since the study began in 1990, J.D. Power said. That's down from 155 problems per 100 vehicles last year.

MINI, Jeep and Land Rover owners reported the most problems after three years among the 34 brands surveyed by J.D. Power.

J.D. Power's 2010 dependability study surveyed more than 43,700 original owners of 2008 model-year vehicles between October and December 2010. The results are watched closely by automakers and are often used in advertising. Owners' opinion of a car after three years can be a major influence on their opinion to buy that brand again.