The picture is mixed in the latest J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study, which rates vehicle quality after three years of ownership.
On the one hand, overall vehicle quality is improving, as the overall industry problems per 100 vehicles fell by 14 to 142 from 156 in 2017. That 9% rise in the quality index marks the first year-over-year improvement since 2013.
“A 9% improvement is extremely impressive, and vehicle dependability is, without question, at its best level ever,” says Dave Sargent, vice president-Global Automotive for J.D. Power. “For the most part, automotive manufacturers continue to meet consumers’ vehicle dependability expectations.”
However, there was considerable movement among the 31 brands tracked in the study, and 18 of them fell below the industry average, up from just 14 in 2017.
Lexus, at 98 PP100, tops the list again, with Porsche (100) remaining in the second spot. But Toyota (127) drops from third to ninth, and Mercedes-Benz (147), fourth a year ago, drops below the industry average into the 15th spot due to an additional 16 PP100. Also falling below average this year are Jaguar (159), Mini (153), GMC (156), Cadillac (186) and Volvo (162).
The Infiniti brand posted the biggest improvement in the ranking, moving into fourth from last year’s third-from-the-bottom finish. Nissan also jumped onto the above-average list, reporting just 133 PP100 vs. 170 year-ago.
Chrysler, which recorded a slightly below-average 159 in the 2017 study, falls all the way to the bottom this year, recording 211 PP100. Fiat and Jeep, the bottom two brands a year ago, move up slightly in the rankings, though their scores both increased more dramatically. Fiat, the most improved brand overall, went from 298 PP100 to 192 and Jeep improved from 209 to 188. Fiat Chrysler’s Ram and Dodge brands also had fewer problems reported.
Other brands that saw dramatic increases in their reported problems over the past year include Cadillac (152 in 2017 to 186 this year) and Land Rover (178 vs. 204).
In-vehicle technology continues to be a sticking point for consumers, J.D. Power says. Voice activation (9.3 PP100) and Bluetooth connectivity (7.7 PP100) continue to be two areas receiving the most complaints from vehicle owners.
Overall, mass-market brands narrowed the gap with luxury brands, averaging just 7 PP100 behind the Luxury average of 136.
Toyota received the most awards for individual models, with six vehicles among the best in the 19 segments J.D. Power tracks. General Motors was next best, with five models.
The results are based on responses from 36,896 owners of ’15-model vehicles in the U.S. The survey was conducted in October-December 2017.
