Thanks. I'll have initial results for the 2007 in a couple of weeks. Going forward I'll be updating these results every three months. The more participants there are, the more accurate the results will be.

Next results in November. A larger sample size would yield more precise results, so please consider participating if you're not already doing so.

For the details, and to sign up:

Vehicle reliability research

Updated results soon.

If you've signed up to participate, but haven't yet responded to the surveys, please do so.

More participants always helpful.

Latest results recently posted. Next set in February, the larger the sample size, the better. So more participants would certainly be helpful, especially for the 2008s (at dealers yet?).

Auto reliability research

mkaresh,

If the service departments for a given manufacturer (X) are less competent than those of a competitor (Y), will that be reflected in your repair survey results as showing that vehicles produced by X are more repair prone and perhaps thus less reliable than those of Y?

For example, two vehicles (one from each manufacturer) go into the shop due to a similar faulty electrical component. The service department for manufacturer X takes three visits to get the problem solved on three different days. The service department for manufacturer Y solves the problem the very first day. Now, lets say this poor service performance holds true generally for repair attempts made by the service departments of manufacturer X.

My concern is that the vehicles from X may look to be less reliable than those from Y, whereas the fault lies with the poor performance of the service departments of manufacturer X as compared to the more highly trained and motivated service departments of manufacturer Y.

Excellent point

There are a host of other variables, like demographic profile of who buys vehicle X and who buys vehicle Y.... the Honda Accord buyer is not the same profile as the Chevy Cobalt buyer, they don't have the same standards, expectations, or may not take the same level of care in their vehicles.

I find it very interesting to compare vehicle ratings of 2 brands that share essentially the same vehicle. The one that struck me many years ago was Eagle Talon vs. Mitsu Eclipse - the Mitsu fared much much better in these ratings, but both vehicles were essentially the same, but likely sold to a different demographic audience and serviced at different dealers (as you stated).

There are a host of variables that are not properly controlled nor accounted for in these studies, therefore one must look at these results with a 'grain of salt'.

This post has been edited by BimmerDom: Nov 15 2007, 06:56 PM

Sorry for the delay--I don't recall ever seeing a notification that you'd posted.

Anyway, I do what I can to control for variables like this one. To control for the quality of dealer service departments, I currently only include successfully completed repairs in the analysis.

I'd like to provide a separate result that includes all trips, but this will require a larger sample size to be accurate, since you're essentially including another variable, the quality of dealer service, in the analysis.

The January 2008 issue of Consumer Reports magazine shows an Owner Satisfaction rating of 80% for the Santa Fe; the same score was achieved by the Toyota RAV4 and the Toyota 4Runner.

The Lexus RX350 came out on top in the SUV segment with a score of 83%.

Lowest ratings went to the Chevrolet Equinox and Jeep Grand Cherokee, each scoring a dismal 41%.

The CR survey was based on responses from owners of 415,000 vehicles, and was conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center.

I'm going to write them to suggest that they start tracking consumer satisfaction with the dealerships. My experience, and those of other local Hyundai owners whom I've had contact with, would seem to suggest a much lower satisfaction rate for the dealerships than for the vehicle.

agreed, my experiences with my dealer, Pathway Hyundai in Ottawa, are less than acceptable IMO

I've found that Hyundai owners tend to be satisfied with their vehicles. The dealers are a different story.

Next update in February. Additional participants always helpful.

Auto reliability research

Next set of results soon.

If you've signed up but haven't yet responded to the survey, please do so. You can only access the survey by clicking on links in the emails I send out. If you haven't yet signed up, I hope you'll consider doing so. The larger the sample size, the more solid the results.

Vehicle reliability research

I can't make a statement about the reliability as I've only had this vehicle for a month.

However I can attest to the lack of backing of the "greatest warranty".

They don't, so you shouldn't.

When you first buy the car is the best time to join the survey, as it collects data going forward. You can read the details and get to the enrollment form here:

Vehicle reliability research

Out of curiosity, what problem did you have with the warranty?

Updated results in May. I'd like to include the 2008 as well as the 2007, to report how much reliability has improved in the second model year, but will need more participants for the current year to do this.

To help improve results for the 2007, and get the 2008 included:

Vehicle reliability research

I have just purchased 2 ~ 2008 Santa Fe's and have put them both into the TrueDelta site.

It tells me there still aren't 25 in the list yet.... I'm hoping it will happen soon!!!

Thanks,
Jeff

Thanks, Jeff, I appreciate it.

Still only 15 of the 2008s, compared to 98 of the 2007s. But I'm already collecting data on the 2008, since we should get to 25 by the end of the model year.

If others can help get us there:

Vehicle reliability research

Recently posted an updated result for the 2007. There's little change from before, so it's still about 50% worse than the average.

Most likely the repair rate is lower for the 2008. Still need more of these to find out.

Additional 2007s would also be helpful.

For the full set of results, and sign up to help (if you haven't already):

TrueDelta Vehicle Reliability Survey results

Next update in August, with a preview for participants next month.

Current number of owners signed up:

2007: 99 -- #100 soon?
2008: 23 -- very much need more to precisely compare to 2007

To join:

Vehicle reliability research

This post has been edited by mkaresh: Jun 23 2008, 11:29 AM

If you've signed up to participate but haven't yet responded to the survey (via a link in the email you received), please do. And if you haven't signed up yet, I hope you'll consider doing so. 2008s especially needed.

Vehicle reliability research

Newly Purchased 2008 Santa Fe Limited.

I have joined your site as it looks both interesting and informative.

Thanks