Consumers Guide Auto Report Reliability

I've not yet read the article, but based upon what you're reporting, I'm thinking CR's brake testing procedure is suspect. Maybe the editors do not understand regenerative braking and they're rating Prius brakes against traditional pads and calipers. Could be the editors do not like the pedal play?

My brakes work great.

Happy Motoring,

Tom

 

In 21,000 miles I have been averaging much better than CR got as well. I'm at 56mpg average. It has been a great car with no problems. Never had problems with the brakes but I had the new software installed. We will see the true verdict on it's reliability in the coming years.

 

I am sure the bad rating was because all the early 2010 Prius’s had a brake recall.

 

But, I question the need for the recall at all. My brakes (and apparently plenty of others) worked fine before and after the recall. I did my research before the purchase and have had no surprises.
Could it be the lingering "Sikes" effect?

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "For a car as environmentally friendly with the best best MPG in its class CR doesn't give the 2010 much respect."

Consumer Reports doesn't have much of a reputation for being unfair. If you're really into Priuses, you may not like what you read in CR, but from my personal experiences with this car, and with CR...the report is probably not far off the mark. Remember...it's CONSUMER Reports, not PriusChat Reports...
Caveat: I haven't read this review.
Caveat: I only have about 3100 miles in type.
Caveat: I didn't buy my car---it's a company vehicle. This means I don't have 30-kilobucks worth of reasons to get my bloomers in a bunch if somebody says something unkind about Priuses.

You mentioned three points.

Fuel Economy: Judging by the number of posts in this forum screaming about poor fuel economies, and the fact other Prius drivers in my company are averaging sub-50 MPG---I'd say their values are probably pretty close. It's still the most fuel efficient car around (for now...) My average is hovering around 57 MPG.

Reliability: Average. I'd say that might be a little generous, judging from the numerous complaints I've read in this forum on everything from brakes (see below) to batteries, main display units, door handles, headlamp assemblies, ICE knocking. Just look in this forum. MY car has been trouble and issue free...so far.
All of this is to be expected in the first year of a (overly) complicated automobile----so don't get your knickers in a knot!!!
Toyota and Honda used to be the gold standards for reliability. This is starting to change now either because they're slipping, or the average is higher now. Yer call...

Braking: I do not know if (you're saying that) they're talking about the braking ability of the car---or the projected brake system reliability of the G3, based on data collected thus far. In the case of the former, my opinion (current value <$0.02) is that the G3 brakes adequately to well. In the case of the latter----well, there have been issues with the G3's brakes that have probably resulted in more than the average number Prius owners making a service trip to their dealers. Can you say "Recall?"

That's just how I see it...like I said. I try to be neither a cheerleader nor a basher. In fact.....I may wind up buying a Prius, or other Hybrid Synergy Drive equipped vehicle for my own in a year or two.

 

wth?

 

I read the article when it came out. I'm sure I'm forgetting some specifics, but, IIRC, the complaint was something like "blah blah blah large numbers of owners reporting issues with braking, followed by a recall, blah blah blah..." I suspect that the sheer numbers of people in the survey reporting "brake problems"--which were fixed or at least ameliorated by the recall--drove the overall score down. My take is, beyond that (now fixed) "issue"--which is, IMO, somewhat an improvement after the recall or service campaign or whatever they call it--the car, albeit with maybe a few more rattles than I'd like, should be pretty reliable down the road. I also seem to remember that they mentioned that the brake issue was the main thing. I think it was a fair review in general; they got much worse mpg than do most drivers who make any effort to economize, but that seems to be true for all the cars they review, and they make a point of driving as they say 'like an average driver.'

Just to clarify, there is a big difference between Consumer Reports and Consumer *Guide*, the latter taking ad money from auto manufacturers among others, and seeming to me to be a blatant shill for Chrysler products in particular and having a bias against non-domestic autos in general. That may have changed; I haven't read a copy of CG in quite a while. Nor do I intend to. CR doesn't take ad money and is, I truly believe, as unbiased a source of information out there as you're going to find. Some disagree, saying it is a self-selecting sample base--i.e., people who read CR are hell-bent on reliability, buy reliable cars and give them high marks. That logic fails me; why would the owner of a Chevy Aveo have higher standards (and thus give lower ratings) than the owner of an Infiniti? If anything, the reverse should be true.

Just my random ramblings,
~T

 

I will never question the brakes in my Prius after it saved me from smoking two kids.

 

Consumer Reports?

Or Consumer Guide?

2 very different magazines.

fwiw, I am personal friends with one of Consumer Report's auto engineers and he HIGHLY recommended the GenIII Prius to me, he's a big fan of the car as an all around commuter, and he said that they, and I quote... "Just don't break" Very reliable car in real world in his opinion.

 

No mention of any problems with the Prius brakes in the CR 2010 issue I'm looking at. In fact, everything they rate is given the highest rating. Even looking at the Reliablility ratings for the 2004 - 2009 Prius in the "Brakes" category it's all solid red. You've got to be looking at a different publication.

 

I think you hit it right on the head. The Consumer Reports reliability ratings are based on surveys of its readers. I think the brake recall skewed the 2010's overall rating.

In prior model years, the Prius enjoyed the highest overall reliability ratings -- all solid red circles.

For 2010, the Prius brakes had the worst reader ratings -- a solid black circle. This brought the total overall reliability rating of the 2010 to "average".

Personally, I would have zero worries about the 2010 Prius brakes' bad reliability rating or the 2010's overall reliability rating of "average".

Here's Consumer Reports' reliability chart for the Prius:

Car Model Review - Consumer Reports

In case you have to be a CR Online subscriber to open the above link ... Here's the chart in a Microsoft Word file:

 

Interesting comments.

I subscribe to CR and from my POV, they are pretty accurate. I have a lot more confidence in their findings than Motor Trend, Car and Driver and etc.

CR's test mileage is lower than most owners report (as mentioned above), but it has to do with the type of test they subject the vehicle to. All vehicles test a bit lower than the EPA, or driver experience. Just wait until they put the Volt to their full test .... I suspect the numbers will be low as well.

I could not be any more satisfied with my G3. Every category is a "full red" rating. My only concern is the GPS software .... it is lacking.

 

as far as overall reliability goes, click and clack gave the prius 10 out of 10. they hate them because the only time they see them is when they are driving by.

 

I think they call it "pride of ownership"

 

The OP has me seriously confused about what publication is being referred to. The title of the thread refers to Consumer Guide. I don't often read CG because they take ads.

Consumer Reports Annual Auto Issue is in April each year. The CR Buying Guide 2011 (paperback book published in December, 2010) does not include the same detailed information about various components that the April issue does.

The April, 2010 Annual Auto Issue has detailed Prius information through the 2009 model year (p. 91, with all "much better than average for 2009), although the 2010 model is selected as "best green car" (pp. 8-9). There is a paragraph of prose, photo, and Recommended check-mark on p. 66.

So, is online CR information available now (I'm a paper-only subscriber), but I won't see it until the April, 2011 issue?

 

Just to add to your fine comments: one has to realize that the survey goes out once a year, whenever that is. People had issues at that particular time and that is reported. No redo of the survey until next year. I bet the rating will improve as the on going customer experience and reliability will improve. No further break issue, ratings get better as they survey older cars as well.

 

As others have pointed out, Consumer Reports reliability surveys are NOT based upon any "testing procedure". They're based upon response to annual reader surveys. CR is just reporting the stats.

IIRC, one isn't supposed to count recalls as a problem in the survey, but I'm sure many ignored that and reported a brake problem anyway (right or wrong).

 

Wow!!! Look at those ratings. Across the board, perfect ratings in everything except the brakes that only sufferred from a recall.

I feel really bad for the people that wasted $1,000 to $2,500 on an extended warranty. I hope this report gives future buyers piece of mind instead of having to hear it from a scumbag dealer trying to make buck.