Tesla, which has been accused of sacrificing quality as it ramps up production of the Model 3, is cranking out more reliable vehicles, according to a new survey from Consumer Reports.

"What we've seen with the Model 3 is that they had a lot of problems initially with paint, some body panel issues and a lot of windows that cracked, but over the few years that they've been building that vehicle they've worked those problems out," said Jon Linkov, deputy auto editor at Consumer Reports.

Improved reliability reports from owners of the Model 3 and the Model S were enough to convince Consumer Reports to once again recommend both vehicles as reliable, a designation the organization pulled last year.

Overall, the Tesla brand jumped four spots in the latest Consumer Reports reliability survey, which is based on the reviews from owners of more than 400,000 vehicles. This year, Lexus was rated as the top brand for reliability, followed by Mazda and Toyota.

Tesla still ranks in the bottom third of the 30 auto brands rated by Consumer Reports, which said the Tesla Model X is among the least reliable models in the survey.

The quality of Tesla's vehicles has come under scrutiny as the automaker ramped up production of the Model 3 over the last two years, even adding an assembly line under a permanent tent right outside the company's plant in Fremont, California.