To win a "recommended" rating from Consumer Reports, a car or truck must do well in the magazine's road tests, independent crash tests, and reliability surveys.

That means most new or redesigned models can't win a coveted recommendation until they've been on the road a year or two and buyers are reporting at least average reliability.

For many years the magazine made an exception for Toyota and Lexus. They had such an outstanding reputation for quality that Consumer Reports assumed they'd hold up well enough to receive a coveted recommendation without any proof.

But David Champion, the director of auto testing for the magazine says they "don't get a 'pass' anymore," because of problems with three recent models.

In its most recent survey owners complained about the Toyota Camry's automatic transmission, the Toyota Tundra's four-wheel-drive system and the Lexus GS audio system and power accessories.

Unexpected problems like that are why new car warranties are worth considering when shopping for a new car or truck.

A great warranty doesn't mean your new ride will never break. Or that it will break less often than competing models with less generous guarantees.

It just means the automaker will pay to fix them if they do -- and that's a load off your pocketbook.

Click here to see our choices for the best warranties for 2008 or brand-by-brand rundown of all the warranties on 2008 models.