Any engineer would know that a complex hybrid powertrain will not be more reliable than their gas-only counterparts.” Austin wrote, "On another issue, ‘reliability’ can be influenced by owner satisfaction. So, the fact that hybrid owners like the fact that they are ‘green,’ or that Toyota owners ‘know’ they are driving a reliable car, or that Porsche owners feel great every time they get behind the wheel can influence the quality data." There were several other comments that were similar to those two — enough, in fact, that we thought it warranted a call to Consumer Reports to comment further, first on whether hybrids are really reliable or whether some hybrid owners may be shading the truth when they answer the survey. Full Article at The New York Times