I've used and installed for others dozens of CD writers by both Sony and Liteon, out of which only one Sony drive and no Liteon drive has failed.
The failed Sony writer could have been just a fluke or due to lack of proper care by the user, and is no basis for thinking that Sony build is not as good as Liteon's. In short, I believe that they are equally reliable.
Performance-wise, without careful comparative tests, I can see no obvious difference between the two brands. They're both good dependable products. It seems to me though that tray movement is smoother and more silent with the Sony drives