Consumer Reports magazine released on March 19 the results of its 2001-model-year reliability survey — and four GM vehicles received the publication’s “recommended” rating: Pontiac Bonneville, Chevrolet Impala, Buick Park Avenue, and Saab 9-5. The publication’s annual auto issue ranks cars by surveying 512,000 readers on problems they have had with their new vehicles. Although the magazine says the reliability of domestic vehicles is improving, Japanese automakers still lead in the survey. According to the Dow Jones International News Service, Japanese brands had 15 problems per 100 vehicles, compared with 22 problems for the Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler, 23 for GM, and 26 for Ford Motor Co. On average, there were 21 problems per 100 vehicles on all 2001 models, Consumer Reports’ automotive editor Richard Paul said. Nissan’s Infiniti QX4 was named the most reliable vehicle in the survey, with four problems per vehicle. Other brands to top the survey include the Subaru Impreza WRX, four Toyota models, two BMW cars, and two Honda vehicles. The survey information is published in the April issue of Consumer Reports, which went on sale March 19.