[Eric in the Ozarks]

Reliability is everything. I'll bet the #1 or #2 reason for every Toyota, Honda, Nissan sale is that they last.

[eraser2005]

But under just about every consumer survey there is, Nissan falls behind Ford in this regard.

And in JD Power, Mercury beats out Toyota, Honda, and Acura (but not Lexus) for reliability...

I'll bet you're right is that is the reason used, but its more perception than it is fact.