Toyota slips and Ford gains in reliability rankings

— -- In what amounts to a symbolic earthquake, Consumer Reports magazine says it no longer will assume that new Toyota and Lexus models are reliable enough to recommend them without real-world data.

Toyota and its Lexus luxury vehicles "don't get a 'pass' anymore," because of problems in three recent models, says David Champion, director of auto testing for the widely read magazine. The reliability ratings, based on a survey in March, were announced Tuesday in Detroit.

"Over the last five years, Ford has made consistent improvement in reliability. They've been coming up and up," Champion says.

Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan were among the most-reliable family cars. "It's great affirmation," says Mark Fields, president of Ford Motor operations in North and South America. It should improve morale, give Ford more word-of-mouth referrals, and "yes, dealers will have reprints."

"Time and again in surveys and clinics, people say Consumer Reports is a major factor," says Jim Hossack at consultant AutoPacific. "If you're Ford, you have a short-term opportunity" to spotlight the results while they're in the news. On the other hand, Toyota's "reputation is so strong that it'll be almost insignificant."

The magazine's reliability report "is the best there is. When they say there's a problem, there's a problem," Toyota spokesman John Hanson says. "We can understand why they don't want to give us carte blanche. We think we will be back on the (recommended) list very shortly," he says. The problems:

•Toyota Camry V-6 transmission. Hanson says warranty claims are at historic lows, but, oddly, customers complain either that the transmission shifts too harshly or too slowly. "We developed software for both. We can reprogram it either way."

•Toyota Tundra V-8 four-wheel-drive system. Record low warranty claims, he says. Nothing explains the problem, which engineers hope to solve with more investigation.