Toyota tops Consumer Reports' auto reliability rankings

DETROIT (AP) — Toyota is the top brand in Consumer Reports' annual vehicle reliability rankings.

Toyota Motor Co.'s luxury Lexus brand is second, followed by Kia, Audi and BMW. Meanwhile, Cadillac, GMC, Ram, Dodge and Volvo got the poorest scores.

Consumer Reports' auto testing chief Jake Fisher says Toyota's strategy of adding new technology gradually — instead of all at once — helps make its vehicles more reliable. Toyota's new Camry sedan, for example, has an eight-speed transmission that was first tested on the Highlander SUV.

Chrysler was the biggest climber in the rankings, thanks to consumers' reviews of its new Pacifica minivan.

Consumer Reports predicts reliability of 2018 vehicles based on a survey of its subscribers, who owned or leased 640,000 vehicles from the 2000-2017 model years.

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