I think Toyota has recovered nicely from those problems. I had a Corolla for 10 years or so, and now drive a 10 year old Prizm, essentially a Toyota. The Corolla was more reliable.
My point is that CR rates Subaru, Toyota, Mazda and Honda as the top four most reliable brands. (I might have them out of order, but all were graded within a point for the top four spots.) Toyota has been known for quality for decades, in spite of the recent hiccups. It's not like CR has touted the Yugo or something. Although I must say that one recent year they rated a Ford (Focus?) as the top choice for reasons I was unable to discern when I examined their test results compared to other comparable vehicles.
Actually, you are right. The exact order of best reliability goes(from best to worst):
Scion, Lexus, Acura, Mazda, Honda, Toyota, Infiniti, Subaru, Nissan, Volvo, Hyundai, Kia, Jeep, Lincoln, Chrysler, VW, Chevy, Mercedes, BMW, Ford, Dodge, GMC, Mini, Buick, Cadillac, Audi, Porsche, Jaguar.
It's worth noting that some
manufacturers with greatest deviation of reliability, can build crap as well as cars that are as reliable as the best reliable car can be. This list of greatest deviation includes(from highest deviation to lowest): Chevy, Nissan, VW, GMC/Audi/Ford, Lincoln, Dodge, Chrysler. This list basically means, while those manufactures are capable of building an impeccable car, your chance of getting a car that has problems, is significantly higher than average. It's worth noting that Jaguar doesn't have 1 car that is reliable. Their average for problems is 155% worse that the average industry average.
Statistically speaking, only 2 companies pass the threshold for passing a percentage above for being better than everyone else. Those two companies are Lexus and Honda...obviously in that order.
Based on statistic, you have a better chance of getting a Honda with less problems than a Toyota.
Ford is America's most reliable auto manufacturer, and ties Toyota in being able to build a reliable, trouble free car.
Only 4 makers build car(new cars) that are known to consistently be above average in reliability, dependability, and least problems per 100 cars. These manufacturers are: Scion, Lexus, Acura, and Mazda.
There are so many other statistics I show, but I have a feeling not many people actually care. You can find out where I got these statistics from by reading the current issue of CR.