Ram tough indeed.
The J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS). found the Dodge pickup truck is the highest-ranking brand overall in initial quality with a score of 149 PP100.
In its inaugural year incorporating franchise dealership repair visits with the Voice of the Customer (VOC) data to create a more expansive metric for problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), the industry average is 195 PP100 with a lower score reflecting higher vehicle quality.
Toyota Motor Corporation has the highest-ranking model overall, the Lexus LC, with 106 PP100, with Lexus IS, Lexus LC, Lexus UX and Toyota Camry ranking highest in their respective segment.
Chevy Top Six Sectors
Among mass market brands, Chevrolet (160 PP100) ranks second and Hyundai (162 PP100) ranks third. The parent corporation receiving the most model-level awards is General Motors Company (six awards) as Cadillac XT5 and XT6, Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Silverado HD, and Chevrolet Traverse models that rank highest in their respective segment
Among premium brands, Porsche ranks highest with a score of 172 PP100. Lexus (174 PP100) ranks second and Genesis (184 PP100) ranks third.
Mass market brands, with a combined average of 181 PP100, outperform the industry average. Meanwhile, premium brands—often including more complicated systems and thus more reliance on connectivity—average 232 PP100.
New Technology Not Well Received
According to JD Power officials, the introduction of new technology has challenged manufacturers to maintain vehicle quality.
“The industry can take solace in the fact that some problem areas such as voice recognition and parking cameras are seen as less problematic now than they were a year ago,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power, in a statement with the release of the survey results.
Following are key findings of the 2024 study:
- Frustration rising from false warnings: Often, owners don’t understand what warnings mean and advanced driver assistance systems are irritating vehicle owners with inaccurate and annoying alerts from rear cross traffic warning and reverse automatic emergency braking features, a newly added feature to the survey this year.
- Owners want to cut the cord: Customers most frequently experience difficulties connecting to their vehicle or losing connection. More than 50% of Apple users and 42% of Samsung users access their respective feature every time they drive, illustrating that customers want their smartphone experience brought into the vehicle and also desire the feature to be integrated wirelessly.
- In-vehicle controls are out of control: Features, controls and displays is the second most problematic category in the study, slightly better than only the notoriously issue-prone infotainment category. The PP100 incidence in this category is more than 30% higher in EVs than in gas-powered vehicles. This is exacerbated by Tesla’s recent switch to steering wheel-mounted buttons for horn and turn signal functions, a change not well received by owners.
Electric Vehicles Issues
Proponents of electric vehicles (EVs) often state these vehicles should be less problematic and require fewer repairs than gas-powered vehicles since they have fewer parts and systems.
However, newly incorporated repair data shows EVs, as well as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles require more repairs than gas-powered vehicles in all repair categories. Gas- and diesel-powered vehicles average 180 PP100 this year, while EVs are 86 points higher at 266 PP100.
While there are no notable improvements in EV quality this year, the gap between Tesla’s EV quality and that of traditional OEMs’ EV quality has closed, with both at 266 PP100. In the past, Tesla has performed better, but that is not the case this year and the removal of traditional feature controls, such as turn signals and wiper stalks, has not been well received by Tesla customers.
“Owners of cutting edge, tech-filled (EV and pug-ins) are experiencing problems that are of a severity level high enough for them to take their new vehicle into the dealership at a rate three times higher than that of gas-powered vehicle owners,” Hanley said.
IQS Background
The IQS, now in its 38th year, is based this year on responses from 99,144 purchasers and lessees of new 2024 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The study was fielded from July 2023 through May 2024.
For the first time, the study additionally incorporates repair visit data based on hundreds of thousands of real-world events reported to franchised new-vehicle dealers.
The study is based on a battery of 227 VOC questions plus relevant repair data, organized into 10 vehicle categories: infotainment; features, controls and displays; exterior; driving assistance; interior; powertrain; seats; driving experience; climate; and unspecified (unique to repair). The study is designed to provide manufacturers with information to facilitate the identification of problems and to drive product improvement.
