The quality of new vehicles in 2018 has continued to marginally improve every year since 2014 according to the 2018 JD Power Initial Quality Study.
The US-based IQS research measures, out of 75,712 buyers and lessees of new 2018 models, the number of problems in every 100 vehicles within the first three months of ownership. Six out of eight categories showing decreases in reported issues.
Results show 21 out of 31 brands, including Hyundai, Kia, Porsche, Mazda, Lexus, Infiniti, Mitsubishi and Ford among the most improved.
Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis was the highest-ranked brand with just 68 problems per 100 vehicles (pp100),
followed closely by Kia on 72 and the parent company third on 74. It’s the first time three Korean brands make the top rankings, and the fourth year Kia has been the highest-scoring mass market brand.
Volkswagen AG’s Porsche brand takes fourth place on 79 PP100, ahead of Ford on 81 in fifth. The Porsche 911 was the best-scoring model with just 48 pp100, also the best score (lowest pp100) in five years.
Vehicle exteriors is the highest improved category of vehicle quality with only 15.2 pp100, bettering the 16.6 of 2017.
Improvements in wind noise and paint defects, seats and vehicle interior are the primary areas of higher quality.
Infotainment quality has also been dramatically improved for the third year straight – however it remains the most problematic factor in vehicle quality with 22 pp100.
By comparison, HVAC systems (heating, ventilation, air-con) and driving experience rate at 5.7 and 6 pp100 respectively.
Another key are of quality concern is driver assistance features as they become emphatically present in all modern vehicles.
While reported faults are only at 3.5 pp100 on average, this area has shown an approximate 20% increase year-on-year since 2015.
Dave Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power says carmakers have lifted their game, but cannot afford to be complacent.
“There’s no question that most automakers are doing a great job of listening to consumers and are producing vehicle quality of the highest caliber,” he says in a statement.
“That said, some vehicle owners are still finding problems. As vehicles become more complex and automated, it is critical that consumers have complete confidence in automakers’ ability to deliver fault-free vehicles,” Sargent explains.
“As we look to the future, avoiding problems with safety and driver-assistance technology is critical,” Sargent continues.
“In an era of increasingly automated vehicles, vehicle owners have to be comfortable using foundational technologies like lane-keep assistance and collision avoidance. Otherwise, automakers will not easily overcome consumer resistance to fully automated (driverless) cars.”
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