Lexus is top brand in Consumer Reports' reliability survey

DETROIT -- Elaborate new transmissions are helping automakers meet rising fuel economy standards, but they're requiring more trips to the repair shop.

Transmission problems tripped up Honda, Nissan, Jeep and other brands in Consumer Reports' annual reliability survey. Drivers reported rough shifting, clutch failure and even transmissions that had to be replaced twice in the first year of car ownership.

Lexus and Toyota -- which rely on older transmissions in many of their models -- were the best-performing brands in the survey. Lexus or Toyota has topped the survey since 2011. Audi, Mazda and Subaru rounded out the top five. The worst performers were Infiniti, Cadillac, Ram, Jeep and Fiat among 28 brands.

The survey, released Tuesday, predicts the reliability of 2016 cars and trucks based on a survey of its subscribers. This year's survey was based on responses from owners of 740,000 vehicles.

Wall Street watches closely. Tesla Motors' shares fell nearly 10 percent after Consumer Reports said it no longer would recommend its Model S sedan because owners reported mechanical problems.

Transmissions with more gears help engines run more efficiently.

A car with an eight-speed transmission gets about 8 percent better fuel economy than one with a four-speed, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

But new technology can cause problems. Honda Motor Co. put two new transmissions in its 2015 Acura TLX sedan.

Consumer Reports said they had multiple problems, and the Acura brand slipped seven spots to 18th in this year's survey.