Lincoln took the top spot for the first time in a closely watched survey of long-term vehicle quality.

J.D. Power and Associates says Ford's luxury brand leads its annual vehicle dependability survey for 2011. The study measures problems experienced by the original owners of vehicles after three years.

Lexus is No. 2 in the study, followed by Jaguar, Porsche and Toyota.

Toyota swept seven segment awards, more than any other automaker this year. The brand also performed well in long-term dependability, J.D. Power said.

The Japanese company's reputation for quality came under fire after massive recalls starting in 2009. But U.S. regulators closed their investigation into the No. 1 carmaker last month and concluded that electronic flaws were not to blame for reports of sudden, unintended acceleration.