Do Hybrids Last? Consumer Reports Say Long-Term Customers are Happy

A common consensus held among some automotive professionals during the time when hybrids came onto the scene, was that their

Original concerns about long term reliability being hampered by hybrid complexity are proving unwarranted. (Photo: Honda Canada)

complexity would make for reliability problems as the various systems began to age. Such has not been the case, at least with Toyota and Honda running the show.

"They are ready for prime time," commented Tom Elliott, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co. "They are really a mainstream technology."

Currently only a handful of hybrid vehicles are available, but the number will reach 38 by 2011, J.D. Power estimates. Toyota alone has announced that the majority of its new models will offer a version of its class-leading Hybrid Synergy Drive system as an alternative powertrain upgrade.

But Toyota is not only a world leader in hybrid technology, but like Honda it is also a leader in overall reliability. Both nameplates regularly garner top-10 ratings in J.

The introduction of hybrids by other top players will help the technology reach greater acceptance in the marketplace. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

D. Power and Associates initial quality and dependability studies, with Lexus having been rated number one, ahead of 37 competitors, for many years. Now that Ford and GM have jumped onboard the hybrid wagon, and other automakers having announced their intention to follow suit, overall hybrid dependability could potentially drop.

The introduction of hybrids by other top players, mind you, will help the technology reach greater acceptance in the marketplace, which should result in annual hybrid sales of at least the half million within eight years J. D. Power has forecast.