SANTA MONICA, Calif.
Toyota's customer loyalty faded slightly in the first quarter after a spate of safety recalls, but its loyalty numbers were still the strongest in the industry, auto information site Edmunds.com said Tuesday.
During the first three months of the year, nearly 58 percent of Toyota trade-ins resulted in the purchase of a new Toyota, Edmunds said. That was down 4 percent from the same quarter a year ago but still higher than other brands.
Ford's loyalty rate was second-highest, at nearly 56 percent. Hyundai, Honda, Subaru, Nissan and Mercedes-Benz were the only other brands that had a loyalty rates of 50 percent or higher, Edmunds said. Mercury had the lowest loyalty, at 14 percent.
Toyota's numbers may have been boosted by incentives.
Starting in March, Toyota offered two years of free maintenance to current owners in an effort to lure repeat buyers after it recalled millions of vehicles. Later it expanded that offer to all customers.