Posted on 02/18/2021 10:16:27 AM PST by Red Badger
KEY POINTS:
According to a new J.D. Power study, the three most dependable auto brands in the U.S. are now Lexus, Porsche and Kia.
Chrysler, Tesla, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and Land Rover are in the bottom five when it comes to dependability.
The 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study by J.D. Power looked into 33 different auto brands, and about 150 different models including cars, SUVs and trucks.
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The three most dependable auto brands in the U.S. are now Lexus, Porsche and Kia, according to a new J.D. Power study. The three least dependable are Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and Land Rover.
Tesla, which was profiled for the first time in this year’s vehicle dependability study, came in 30th out of 33 automakers. It landed one place behind Chrysler and one ahead of Jaguar.
J.D. Power studies serve as an industry benchmark, and its results can drive sales and impact insurance premiums for owners. The 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study analyzed responses from 33,251 verified owners of 2018 model-year vehicles sold in the U.S. The study assessed around 150 different models including cars, trucks and SUVs.
Tesla’s ranking in the 32-year-old annual study this year is considered unofficial, said Dave Sargent, J.D. Power’s vice president of automotive quality. That’s because Elon Musk’s electric vehicle venture doesn’t grant J.D. Power permission to survey its owners in 15 states that require this.
One of the excluded states is California, Tesla’s home base and a massive market for the company. However, the J.D. Power study included 756 Tesla respondents from 35 different states including major markets with comparably warm weather like Florida and Texas.
While Tesla rated unofficially low on the dependability survey, it unofficially topped J.D. Power’s 2020 APEAL survey, which rates vehicle brands by owners’ emotional attachment and level of excitement with their new vehicles.
Who’s up, who’s down The dependability survey asks drivers how many and what kind of problems their cars, trucks or SUVs experienced in the past year and assigns a score based on problems reported per 100 vehicles. The lower the score, the more dependable the automaker.
The greatest number of problems reported by vehicle owners across all makes and models concerned audio, communication, entertainment and navigation systems.
“With smartphone apps increasingly giving owners an alternative, some will give up on the vehicle’s built-in systems that caused that initial frustration. That’s problematic for automakers, as a lot of the vehicle’s value is tied up in these systems and they don’t want to hand this business over to third parties,” said Sargent.
The Porsche 911 was the highest-ranked model in the 2021 study.
Toyota-owned Lexus topped the list among all brands, with a score of 81 problems per 100 vehicles.
Kia vehicles have notably risen from among the least dependable auto brands in the U.S. to most dependable in just a decade, with 97 problems per 100 vehicles on average. Toyota was near the top of the list with 98 problems per 100 vehicles.
Volkswagen, which introduced two new models in 2018, slid in the dependability rankings. Sargent noted: “Results can be affected by whether a manufacturer has just launched a bunch of new products. They tend to be the most problematic their first year out.”
Owners of 3-year-old Teslas reported 176 problems per 100 vehicles, compared with the industry average in the U.S. of 121 problems per 100 vehicles. Tesla owners reported more problems with their exterior and interior than with other systems like propulsion, battery or infotainment and navigation. However, some did complain about troubles with Tesla’s in-vehicle voice recognition.
Overall, vehicle dependability improved by about 10% year over year, J.D. Power found. Part of this was due to lower use and abuse of vehicles amid a Covid pandemic that has restricted commuting and travel in 2020 stateside.
“We know the more people use a vehicle the more problems they’re going to have,” Sargent said. Last year, on average consumers had driven about 32,000 miles over three years of new vehicle ownership. This year, they had driven 29,000 miles -- representing a 10% reduction over a three-year period, and an implied 30% reduction in the last year.
-- CNBC’s Michael Wayland contributed to this report.
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These types of lists and ratings are so much BS. Shall we rank which color is better? How about which is the best minute out of each hour? Or flavor of ice cream? Oh, yeah right, that one was very important last year as one of the more serious questions reporters asked Biden. /s
My Chevy HHR was purchased new in 2012 February. Not a single issue so far. Just had to replace tires after 60k miles. The original battery still works fine. Only routine maintenance needed so far (changing oil & filters). Original brakes still good. Starts at flick of the key every time. Never needed a single repair of any kind.
I would say the HHR-2011 model is the most trouble free car ever for me.
HaHa, we’ll I have three vehicles, and two of them make the worst list,oh well,at least I haven’t had any issues with either.
A 2020 Honda Accord I was looking at did not have GPS anymore. The dealer said that everyone had a phone and people rarely updated the car's maps so they got out of date fast. It didn't have a CD player, but it did still have an AM/FM and it had Bluetooth to allow a phone to provide audio and communications. Essentially they became a display for the phone rather than an independent system.
bookmark
Out of curiosity, does a broken wiper blade and a blown up engine each count as one problem?
They’d have value if they included things like “how many miles are on your car and how many times have you been broken down on the side of the road due to a mechanical issue?”
Instead they include things like “any problems with your radio?” Every response that says “yeah, my iPhone doesn’t always connect right away so I can play Spotify” turns into a ding against the company’s “reliability”.
It’s total BS. Main reason why Ford has done so poorly on these for a while: they have clunky software running their radio. Does the car go from A to B? Oh sure, but if I can’t listen to Creedence Clearwater Revival the whole time, what’s the point?!
I don’t take anything associated with JD Power seriously.
Initial quality is nonsense. The bulk of these awards are bought and paid for. Occasionally they get it right.
Because of the rediculous level of computerization only half of the cars sold today may be on the road in 10 years.
My dad bought a top of the line Lexus and it was amazing how the dealership treated him. The closest I can think of is royalty.
I bought a brand new Chrysler and it’s 9 speed electronic transmission was doing weird twerks every so often. The dealership basically called me a liar because they could not get it to do what I was experiencing.
Told me I did not know anything about cars or was doing some thing wrong even though I have restored 8 antique cars in my lifetime and raced many years also.
I will never in my lifetime buy another GM, Ford or Chrysler.
PS that 9 speed was later declared a lemon by industry groups.
Worse: if your iPhone disconnects from the radio, it counts as a problem. That’s what most of the “problems” they log are. There’s very little in the way of mechanical reliability included in those numbers. Ford makes solid engines these days, but the software for their entertainment system isn’t great, so they get marked as unreliable.
We have a 2016 Kia Optima with all the bells and whistles, including heated seating and heated steering wheel. While it may not ride or corner like a Lexus, it is the best new car I’ve ever bought. KIA is quality product.
“Because of the rediculous level of computerization only half of the cars sold today may be on the road in 10 years.”
My brand new plastic New Holland farm tractor is down due to electronic issues for the 3rd time. I’m working the farm with the old gas 68 Ford 4000 that started tight up in 5 degree weather a few days ago. My neighbor uses his 1947 2N Ford every day
My most trouble free was a 2006 Pontiac Vibe. I bought it in late 2009 with 145,000 miles on it. I owned it until 2018 and sold it at 298,000.
Besides tires and brakes, the most expensive shop repair was $95 for a serpentine belt. It did need a wheel bearing but a mechanic buddy wouldn’t charge me for the repair.
Even had the original shocks and clutch. Two of my daughters both bought Vibe’s too. One has a 2004. About 190,000 miles. No serious issues.
Dropping the NUMMI program with Toyota and cancelling the Vibe was the biggest mistake GM ever made.
My wife is a Toyota engineer by training, now is an engineering consultant. We only buy Toyotas. Only used Toyotas at that. Bought my 2000 Tacoma when it had 12,500 miles on. Drove it for 20 years. The only thing that went was the air conditioner. Bought a Camry last year that has 29,000 miles on it. I’m sure we’ll put another 150,000 on it at least before we buy another used car.
I replaced my 2000 Tacoma with a 2017 that had 19,000 miles on it. Bought it 10 months ago at the height of Covid hysteria. Got a great deal. I’ll probably drive it for 15 years.
We made one Toyota exception and bought a used Honda Pilot. We’ve had that for 8 years, no issues.
I’m not against US cars, but why take the risk? The Japs got the quality issues licked.
I’ve had Lexus I think the second year they opened the dealerships here.
Latest is an RX450hybrid F-Sport. Best car I’ve ever had.
Also have a 2013 IS450 convertible F-Sport.
Not just the car, it’s the whole experience. I would buy American if American companies made the best and had the best service. They don’t and they don’t.
I’ve had two KIA’s. Just normal problems, wear and tear................
Offer someone a Tesla and offer someone a Lexus...8 outta 10 choose the Tesla that’s just reality today
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