Car ratings: Toyota tops J.D. Power dependability rankings Whether they are American, Japanese or South Korean brands, cars continue to become more dependable, according to the latest car ratings from research firm J.D. Power and Associates. In its 2012 vehicle dependability study, J.D. Power said that auto reliability soared to its highest level since the firm started measuring decades ago. Each year, J.D. Power contacts owners of vehicles that were new three years before and asks them about the type of problems they have experienced in the last 12 months. That ratio for 2009 model year cars averaged just 132 problems per 100 vehicles down from 151 in the prior year and the lowest since the inception of the study. PHOTOS: J.D. Power's most dependable car ratings Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota Motor Corp., scored the best of 32 brands, notching just 86 problems for 100 vehicles. German sports car maker Porsche was second at 98. Cadillac, the resurgent luxury division of General Motors Co. was tied with Toyota for third at 104 and Toyota's budget-oriented Scion nameplate was fifth at 111. Chrysler Group's eponymous brand fared the poorest, scoring 192 problems per 100 vehicles. The automakers other divisions also did poorly. Dodge was second to last at 183, Jeep scored 179 and Ram 174. British luxury car maker Jaguar was the only non-Chrysler brand in the bottom five. Notwithstanding Chrysler's lousy scores, the level of reliability the industry achieved in 2009 models was notable considering that was a year of deep recession when both GM and Chrysler underwent bankruptcy reorganization and just about every automaker struggled for sales. "Despite facing immense challenges in 2009, automakers placed a keen focus on delivering outstanding levels of quality, which they understood would be essential to their long-term success," said David Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power. It worked out for the best, he said. "This is good news both for owners - who are holding onto their vehicles for longer than ever - and manufacturers, since perception of quality and dependability is a critical factor in vehicle purchase decisions," he said. The average age of vehicles in America is approaching 11 years, according to research firm R.L. Polk & Co. Although dependability measures improved, many consumers still have doubts about brands that previously had trouble producing reliable vehicles, Sargent said. "During the past four years, models from Buick, Cadillac, Ford, Hyundai and Lincoln have achieved consistently strong levels of dependability, but still have relatively high proportions of new-vehicle buyers expressing reliability concerns," he said. Negative quality perceptions are notoriously difficult to change. Toyota collected the best scores in eight different market segment awards, more than any other automaker in 2012. Its winners included the Lexus ES 350 -- in a tie with the Lincoln MKZ for entry-level luxury sedans. It won with the Lexus RX 350 for luxury crossovers, the Scion tC for sporty compacts, the Scion xB for multipurpose vehicles, the Toyota Prius for small sedans, Toyota Sienna for minivans, Toyota Tundra for large pickup trucks and Toyota Yaris for subcompacts Ford topped three segments. The Ford Explorer - tie with the Nissan Murano - for top SUV, the Ford Fusion for passenger sedans and the Lincoln MKZ. GM's discontinued Buick Lucerne topped the large car category and its Chevrolet Equinox was ranked at the head of small crossovers and SUVs. Nissan Motor Co. also placed the Nissan Frontier at the top of the midsize pickup truck list. The Hyundai Genesis scored the highest for midsize luxury cars. The study is based on responses from more than 31,000 original owners of 2009 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. They were asked about their vehicles between October and December 2011.