(November 15, 2011) FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif. — CarMD.com today announced the release of its first annual CarMD Vehicle Health Index ranking of the top manufacturers and vehicles.

Toyota is the top-ranked manufacturer in the U.S., based on a ranking derived from the fewest percentage of "check engine" light-related related problems and lowest average repair cost.

Toyota, which includes Toyota and Lexus brands, has the lowest Index rating of 0.67. The lower the rating, the better the overall ranking.

Rounding out the top five vehicle manufacturers of 2011 are No. 2 Hyundai, No. 3 Honda, No. 4 Ford and No. 5 General Motors.

This is the first index to rank manufacturers and vehicles using real world, statistically-based data on "check engine"-related failures and repair costs. The Index ranking is based on the combined fewest average repair incidents and lowest average repair costs for model year 2001 to 2011 vehicles in the U.S. from Oct. 1, 2010 through Oct. 1, 2011.

The CarMD Vehicle Health Index also ranks the top 100 vehicles, the top three vehicles by category and most common problems by make. The complete CarMD Vehicle Health Index, featuring manufacturer and vehicle data, is now available at http://corp.carmd.com.

"CarMD understands that when you're shopping for one of the most expensive purchases in life — your car — it's important to be armed with data to help you make the best possible decision based on the reliability of that vehicle," said Art Jacobsen, vice president of CarMD.

"We are releasing this data to give car and truck buyers a completely unbiased, data-driven view and never-before-seen level of transparency into the vehicles they may be considering, and recognize the manufacturers that continue to make progress by lowering cost of ownership and designing vehicles to last longer."

Honda and Toyota vehicles each account for four of the top 10 ranked vehicles, including the no. 1 ranked 2009 Toyota Corolla, which had the lowest combined repair incidents and lowest average repair costs per number of registered vehicles with a CarMD Index rating of 0.085. Other top-ranking Toyotas include the 2009 Toyota RAV4 (no. 5), 2009 Toyota Camry (no. 7) and 2008 Toyota Highlander (no. 10). Top-ranked Honda vehicles include the 2008 Honda CR-V (no. 2), 2007 Honda CR-V (no. 3), 2009 Honda Accord (no.  4) and 2009 Honda Pilot (no. 8). The 2011 Hyundai Sonata (No. 6) and the 2005 Chevrolet Blazer (no. 9) round out the top 10 highest ranked vehicles on the road in the U.S. since 2001, according to CarMD.

"As a result of compiling the industry's first and most comprehensive database of diagnostic trouble codes and repairs for 'check engine'-related problems, CarMD is uniquely positioned to provide actual data on a wide range of vehicles and manufacturers," said Jacobsen.

"Sourced directly from a nationwide network of automotive technicians and vehicle owners since 1996, our Index takes a never-before-seen approach to ranking vehicles based on total vehicle population, making it possible to compare a 10-year-old vehicle with a newer one. This is particularly important since drivers are holding onto vehicles longer than ever before with an average age in excess of 10 years. We believe this data will help consumers and the industry identify important trends and further the age-old debate on whether to buy new versus used."