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.
Better than having an immediately obsolete entertainment system buried in the center stack, in my book. Apple CarPlan and Andoid Auto are the way to go these days.
Should have said entertainment/nav.
The Miley Cyrus Transmission?...............
My folks had one. Don't ever use high-mileage oil in it. There are screens in the top end that will clog and starve your valve train. My S-I-L had one, too. The module for the bells/buzzers and radio went out. Other than those two issues, they seemed to drive okay. Won't ever buy another GM product in my lifetime, though. Not new, and certainly nothing made since about 2011.
JD Powers is a PR firm that deals in cars. Their ratings are one huge joke. Even worse than Motor Trend.
If you want Lexus comfort with 400,000 miles of reliability, go for the Toyota Avalon.
“We only buy Toyotas”
My BIL worked at the Pentagon. He got tired of buying new cars and people backing into them and leaving etc.
He bought a Toyota for my neice new and her first job she got a company car so he took back the Corolla. He just sold it a few years back with 280k miles and no issue other than normal tires, brakes and battery stuff.
Boy, I can’t type.
Apple CarPlay
Android Auto
New Tundra will have twin turbo V6. Here in Norcal, gas is pricey and the V6 is attractive, and Toyota has very reliable turbos. What are your opinions on the Tundra update?
JD Powers polls new owners to determine reliability of current model year cars. Main issue with the current cars is one of technical issues such as how to work the radio, etc. the JD Power survey is not designed to determine long term reliability. There are studies of older registered, high mileage vehicles. These help determine which cars last the longest.
“ 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.”
As others note, the subject of complaint matters enormously, while the survey equates them.
3 years ago is half Tesla’s meaningful existence; much has changed in a short time. That “propulsion & battery” performed well is significant vs a panel askew. Voice control on Tesla is presumably far more ambitious than other vehicles, leading more to try and more to report issues - vs, say, me normally not remembering that my Explorer even has voice control which is so bad I never use it and thus wouldn’t complain.
I retired my 21-year old GMC Sierra yesterday after almost 300,000 miles. I bought it new. It’s still running strong but I figured that sooner or later something will happen. I will keep it until it quits. So far all I have replaced are two window motors, an air-conditioner compressor, brakes, and tires. I tuned it up the first and only time about three years ago.
I bought a one owner 2019 Chevy Equinox LT with only 19,000 miles on it yesterday and I will never learn all of the bells and whistles on this SUV. I only used the cruise control on the old truck for the first time about six months ago. I don’t expect it but I hope the new one comes close to being as good as my old truck has been.
The last car I bought the dealer said they would add GPS for like $2K or somewhere in that range. I just laughed and bought a $5.95 phone mount so I can use Waze on my phone.
The unreliability of my 2004 z71 silverado is terrible regaring the dashboard and heater controls, etc. But at least the drive train is solid.
Out of curiosity, does a broken wiper blade and a blown up engine each count as one problem?
Depends did the blown up engine break the wiper blade when it blew up? /s
No vehicle we have ever purchased has been reliable. All have had problems after 30,000 miles. Dodge Ram has been the most dependable even if repairs were needed.
They are good cars. Trucks too. I drove a Tacoma for 19 years, putting 165,000 miles on it. I replaced it with a used 2017 Tacoma last Spring. I put the 2000 Tacoma on Facebook Marketplace and it sold in less than 20 minutes. Crazy!
We bought the Camry so my 15 and 16 year olds will have a car for driving to school. So far so good.
I know everyone has different attitudes about cars, but for the life of me I’ll never understand why people buy NEW cars. Wait a couple years and save a bunch of money. We also never finance, just pay the full amount in cash.
Same here. Bought a 2020 Pilot - no GPS, but I can physically plug my iPhone into the dash, and the big screen is now most of the apps on my phone (”Apple Car Play”).
I’ve had Ford almost begging me to spend lots of money to update my 2015 Mustang GPS. I just toss the letters in the trash with the GOP “please contribute” letters. :-D
9 speed? Hell, Ford pickups have a 10 speed! YIPES!
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