WhichCar

The tech race is crippling new car reliability, study finds

The survey, now in its 37th year, has revealed increasingly tech-laden new cars have impacted reliability.

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A huge annual survey in the US has found new vehicles are increasingly troubled by fancy new technology features – all the way down to door handles.

Snapshot

  • Tech has caused more issues for owners, American survey finds
  • Increasingly problematic door handles, safety systems
  • Stellantis car brands topped the reported quality list

Based on 93,380 participants, who owned or leased new 2023 model-year vehicles in America, the The JD Power 2023 US Initial Quality Study [↗] concluded that the industry average went up to 192 number of problems per 100 vehicles – compared to 180 in 2022.

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🙃 Key new vehicle reliability issues

  • Door handles – a trend of redesigned, flush and electronically operated handles have been problematic, with 70% complaints being electric vehicle models.
  • Safety systems – owners encountered most issues with lane departure alert and lane-keep assist, followed by forward collision warning and auto emergency braking.
  • Android Automotive – a wide gap in complaints between vehicles fitted with Google’s built-in software and those without, though exact problems weren’t detailed.
  • Qi wireless charging – a notable increase in problematic pads were recorded, including poor location, phone overheating, and intermittent or no charging.
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Major automakers such as Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, Kia, Nissan, Mazda, BMW and Mercedes-Benz all saw slight dips in new vehicle quality rankings.

A number of brands couldn't be included in the survey, however – including electric carmakers Tesla, Polestar, Rivian, and Lucid Motors. These companies declined to allow JD Power to survey their owners in states where consent was required, and therefore weren’t able to collect representative data relative to other car brands.

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Which brands impressed?

Stellantis brands Dodge, Ram and Alfa Romeo improved their scores and topped the 2023 Initial Quality Study.

Models such as the Toyota Camry sedan, Ford Ranger ute, Jeep Gladiator ute, Kia Carnival people mover, and Audi Q3 SUV were also awarded top honours for reliability

In contrast, Volvo, Chrysler and Volkswagen were at the bottom of the survey’s reliability list – with the latter experiencing 19 more reported problems per 100 vehicles this year.

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Full 2023 car brand quality rankings

The lower the score, the better. Numbers represent the reported number of problems per 100 vehicles. Ranking from J.D. Power 2023 US Initial Quality Study [↗].

2023 scoreDifference from 2022
Dodge140-3
Ram141-45
Alfa Romeo143-68
Buick162+23
Chevrolet166+19
GMC167+5
Porsche167-33
Cadillac170+7
Kia170+14
Lexus171+14
Genesis176+20
Mini179+11
Nissan180+13
Maserati182-73
Jaguar185-25
Subaru185-6
Hyundai188+3
Honda190+7
Jeep191-8
BMW192+27
Mitsubishi193-33
Toyota194+22
Ford201+34
Mercedes-Benz201+12
Land Rover203+10
Mazda203+23
Acura207+15
Lincoln208+41
Infiniti212+8
Audi221-18
Volkswagen249+19
Chrysler250-15
Volvo250-6

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