Are Hondas And Toyotas STILL As Reliable As Their Reputations? What Say You, Spies?

For the most part - yes, Hondas and Toyotas are still as reliable as they always were . But the difference now is that brands that previously had fallen short in durability and build quality have made giant leaps . So the difference (whether perceived or real) is relatively narrow.

Most brands - especially American and Korean makes - now come very close to the Japanese when it comes to longevity. Toyotas and Hondas may still have the edge - but it's now much closer than ever.

yes both are reliable.

That is the WRONG Question

The Question should be - are they more reliable than other competition - and that answer is now a resounding NO.

The Japanese reliabilty mystique was largely built long ago on a series of VERY LOW CONTENT small cars - with crank windows - manual transmissions and steering - and AM radios. Hard to screw up. THey did not have the power steering leaks now prevalent in Toyota cars because they didn't have power steering to begin with. Both Have well publicized Transmission problems - especially that clunker Dual Clutch unit for the current Camry that sets back transmissions 30 years.

Today - Ford and Chevy make cars that are just as reliable - and better - IF something does go wrong - they are almost always much cheaper to repair. There like will be good aftermarket parts. One big problem is with high content low volume performance cars from lots of manufacturers (Amg-Mclass and others) where there is not aftermarket for the parts - and by their low volume nature - can cost astoundingly high prices.

Very good points. I would add that the person purchasing a Honda or Toyota are typically (certainly not alway)not auto enthusiast who tend to be much more critical of their cars. A friend of ours had a new Camry with a terrible squeak from the passenger dash area, did not bother her at all, just turn up the music. I think anyone on this board would have their car at the dealer to fix it ASAP. So I think expectations play a big role in these quality numbers. As for the 200k miles...it doesn’t seem to happen in more difficult car environments like Europe. I think things like the cobblestone roads and high speed highways seem to take a higher toll on the Japanese brands than the European brands. Interestingly the newer Korean cars so far seem to be doing well, time will tell.

Tomm,.

Reliability mystique? Seriously? They have pretty much ruled quality rankings for decades. And they still do although others have caught up. Overall though, they are still Kings(at least Honda and toyota). 30 years ago a Camry had similar features to a similar ford Chevy or vw. Today they still do. How do you explain a Lexus LS's quality/reliability rep? As a owner of a 18 yesr old LS loaded with 300k miles and no problems.i can attest that quality is no mystique. Furthermore, own a 8 year old RX, had a 1995 ES300(owned for 15 years, again no problem), a 2005 sienna which kept 12 years and 270k miles(minor problems) after 200k miles.

Btw, Camrys don't have dual clutches.

If you look at warranty issues, they are reliable cars. Toyota is excellent. Honda less so, but hardly a lemon. Other brands are as good though. Ford, Chevy, Hyundai, Kia, and Mazda are all good choices too. Nissan isn't.

I would definitely put Nissan before any Kia and Hyundai

Or F150, or Silverado, or Mustang, or Camaro, or or or

Two good references. Thank you Joneshamilton. My wife has an Acura TL (ne. Accord) with 130,000 miles with nothing but routine maintenance. Other family members have an Accord 4 cyl and an Acura TSX, also trouble free.

I think that people forget a lot of it boils down to the owner of the car as well. I've owned 6 Maximas & I35 from the 90s to the 2000s. had a few of them that had near 200k miles. Never replaced more than regular mainenance and a couple injectors. My last and current car(s) are a Hyundai Sonata. 2011 had 130k miles on it, only replaced a .99 cent bushing in the steering column. No problems. Current is a 2017 with 22k miles. Obviously just maintenance. I take care of my cars. I've owned 2 Ford rangers, 1994, 2004. Took care of them and only ever replaced a starter on them. Both pushed 150k miles before getting rid of them. I had a 1997 T-bird V8, 170k miles, hardly did anything to it other than Mass Air Flow. So over diverse years of supposed bad quality cars, I've achieved good success. So it is not so much of a certain brand having problems and car owners not knowing how to take care of them. I've known people who owned Toyotas and Acuras that have had major problems. Take the Acura TL, horrible horrible transmission issues from everyone I've ever known. It's a Honda by all-purposes. In the end, it all comes down to who reports what to what survey. But I think the gap has narrowed and that the sound of Toyota and Honda quality have carried them more over the years than the reliability has kept up with the image.

But of course in a German article. However if you have ever had a used car in Germany you know they thoroughly check many many things about the car every year before giving it the green light to drive on public roads. Personally I believe this report as it is generally what I saw from living there for 3 years then living in Czech Republic for 3 years.

Interesting, BMW/Audi at 4th, Honda in 9th on Consumer Reports... https://www.consumerreports.org/car-reliability-owner-satisfaction/car-brands-reliability-how-they-stack-up/

Forgot the German car study link --> https://www.vda.de/en/press/press-releases/20161227-Wissmann-Best-long-term-quality-from-German-cars.html

Toyota still maintains it's lead, Honda seems to have slipped recently with the Accord and Civic. My experience on last two gen of Civic has been outstanding, but CR surveys shows reason for concern on latest models. I have heard from co-workers on issues with late model Ford and GM that confirms to me the CR results, and for me to stay away from these.