Elantra vs. Lexus quality - A surprising comparison!

[Safety Matters!]

I bought a Lexus – a Lexus RX350 -  in 2007. At about the same time, needing a vehicle for commuting, I purchased what some might say is the antithesis of a Lexus – a Hyundai – a Hyundai Elantra (2008), to be precise. Here’s what happened since:

 

Date                                                      Lexus    ($50,000 +)                                                          Hyundai ($15,000)

Oct 12th 2012                                     Battery failed (32830 mi)                                              

 

Nov 12th 2012                                   Idler pulley for drive belt failed                 

                                                                            (36362 mi)

 

March 11th 2014                               Ignition coil #5 failed (42891 mi)                                 Replaced drive belts

                                                                         (on highway – nearly hit by truck)

 

March 30th 2016                               Rear Caliper blown (61498 mi - $654.40)

 

April 20th 2016                                  Ignition coil #6 failed (62562 mi - $ 293.47)

 

April 20th 2016                                  Dealer diagnosed leaking steering fluid

                                                                Recommends steering replacement

                                                ($1600 estimate - not done yet)

 

Maintenance items such as regular servicing, brake and tire replacements and such, do not appear in the above list, as also any repairs prior to 2012 (have not kept records). All repairs have been performed at our local Lexus dealer. The vehicle has been run for pleasure, under normal operating conditions, with mainly highway miles.

 

The failures are premature, and entirely unexpected, at these mileages. The vehicle is a Lexus!  In contrast, the Hyundai, surprisingly ran fine at 90000 miles +, with no significant breakdowns or repairs, apart from a battery replacement at about 50,000 mi and drive belt replacement at about 85,000 miles.

 

I provided the above comparison to Lexus - have yet to hear from them. No doubt, it's difficult to accept that a Hyundai can beat a Lexus hands down, in terms of what Lexus purportedly excels at - manufacturing quality! Looks like we'll have to look elsewhere for my next SUV -  a pity, since I have been with Toyota and Lexus for the past 20 + years!

[RX400h]

Okay, I have to chuckle a bit here - Not too long ago I viewed a TED presentation about perception based upon small data samples. The speaker presented cases similar to yours in which personal experience from a very limited sample formed strong opinions that did not necessarily represent the overall "picture".

According to Consumer Reports magazine, (which bases its findings on tens of thousands of data points from owners of almost every type of vehicle) both the Lexus RXs and Elantras are reliable overall. However, the RXs have had a much more consistent high-reliability rating compared with the Elantra. In fact, if we look at the 2008-15 Elantra reliability table, we find that the 2009-2011 models had some serious reliability issues like:

Major transmission
Suspension
Brakes
Paint/Trim
Power equipment.

It looks like you did "luck-out" with your 2008, as it did not have these issues and was thus rated as "Better than average".
The RXs had only one worse than average category in 2009 (Suspension) compared to the Elantra's 10 areas of worse or much worse than average ratings during the same span of model years. Every single year (2008-2015) of Lexus RX has a Much better than average overall rating. The Elantra has only one Much better than average overall rating (2014 model year).

It has 2 Worse than average overall ratings (2010 and 2011), 2 Average, and 3 Better than average ratings.

Our 2006 RX400h has been near perfect with no unscheduled dealership visits. It has been the most reliable vehicle we have ever owned. But our experience parallels that of the vast majority of owners. Of course, there will always be some "outliers" that will cause their owners to swear off Lexus. We once owned a Honda Accord that needed a new transmission at 60,000 miles, but that too was an outlier. Honda Accords continue to have a stellar reliability record.

 Given the hybrid RX's complexity, its overall reliability is truly amazing. Compare the much less complex Toyota Corolla to the Elantra and you will note that the Corolla is also a step ahead in the reliability department. I have to give the Koreans credit; they are improving from producing the least reliable and lowest ranked car company (during the 80s) to being ranked #11 by Consumer Reports.