New technologies hurt car quality as EV brands fare poorly, J.D. Power says

Newer vehicles are becoming more troublesome because of new technologies, including safety systems, according to the 2023 edition of J.D. Power’s preliminary quality study released Thursday.

“The automotive industry is facing widespread quality problems, a phenomenon not seen in its 37-year history [Initial Quality Study],” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at JD Power. ”Today’s new vehicles are more complex – offering new and exciting technology – but not always satisfying owners.”

An early 2023 quality study found industry-wide problems rose from an average of 12 to 192 per 100 vehicles. This has resulted in an increase of 18 problems per 100 vehicles. last year studyat that time the increase was attributed to ongoing supply-chain issues Which plagued the industry during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The study pointed to growing problems with advanced driver-assistance features such as lane-departure warning and automatic emergency braking, as well as widespread problems with wireless charging pads added by automakers for drivers’ smartphones.

But while the survey showed that part of the increase in problems this year is related to new technologies, it also found automakers are having trouble with things that were once considered basic, such as door handles. . Some automakers, perhaps inspired by Tesla, have added high-tech door handles to new models, a “percolating problem area.” Electric vehicles are seven of the 10 worst offenders, according to the study.

Three stellar The brands – Dodge, Ram and Alfa Romeo – top this year’s quality rankings, while Volvo and EV makers Tesla And pole Star came at the bottom of the list with 257 and 313 problems per 100 vehicles, respectively.

among American automakers, General Motors put up a strong performance, making all four of its brands – Chevrolet, GMC, Buick and Cadillac – among the top 10 brands in terms of quality.

ford motor Didn’t do that well. Both the Ford brand and Lincoln were below average in this year’s tally, with 201 and 208 problems per vehicle, respectively. While Korea’s Hyundai and Kia were both well above average, a longtime symbol of quality, toyotaPoor performance with 194 problems per 100 vehicles, slightly worse than average.

The top mass-market brands for early quality were Dodge, Ram, and Buick. Alfa Romeo, Porsche and Cadillac top the ranking of premium brands.

EV manufacturers like Tesla, Polestar, lucid And Rivian are not officially considered part of the study because they do not give J.D. Power formal permission to access customer data, which is a legal requirement in 15 states.

JD Power was able to calculate its score for Tesla and Polestar based on results collected in other states. JD Power stated that the sample sizes of Lucid and Rivian were deemed too small to be eligible for the rankings and awards, but have been included in the overall industry average.

The firm’s annual Initial Quality rankings are based on survey responses from new car buyers or lessees of current model-year vehicles who respond during the first 90 days of ownership. This is a widely viewed study in the auto industry. This year’s results were based on responses from over 93,000 participants.

The company conducts separate surveys to rank brands on the basis of long-term dependability, appeal of features of their new vehicles, and the buying experience of car buyers from different brands.