UNITED States car buyers are growing less satisfied with their purchases from domestic auto makers while their Asian and European competitors continue to improve, according to a recent survey.

Consumer satisfaction with US auto brands slipped as Lexus and BMW tied for first place, followed by Toyota and Honda, according to the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index released yesterday.

General Motors Corp's Buick and Cadillac brands, and Ford Motor Co's Lincoln and Mercury lines, fell from their No. 2 perch at a time when US companies are struggling to outshine their foreign competitors and reverse their shrinking sales and market share.

That's an unsettling sign for domestic auto makers, said Claes Fornell, the University of Michigan business professor who heads the annual survey.

Traditionally, US brands improve their customer satisfaction scores each year, just not as much as their overseas counterparts. Now, the ratings of domestic companies are declining while scores of their overseas competitors continue to climb.

'This is somewhat of a double whammy here,' Fornell said.

'The struggling companies are getting an even tougher road in the near future. The question also is: Do they really have the resources, the cash here to adapt?'