The owners of 3-year-old vehicles from the 2011 model year report more problems than owners of 3-year-old vehicles last year, according to a new study. The Vehicle Dependability study, now in its 25th year, examines problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners of 2011 model-year vehicles. Overall vehicle dependability averaged 133 problems per 100, a 6% increase in problems from 126 pp100 in 2013. This marks the first time since the 1998 study that the average number of problems has increased.
A large part of the quality decline appears to come from automakers rushing balky four-cylinder engines and more fuel-efficient, but rough transmissions into production in response to buyer’s demand resulting from high fuel prices in the U.S.
The decline in quality is markedly noticeable for vehicles with 4-cylinder engines, where problem levels increase by nearly 10 pp100. Engine and transmission problems overall increased by nearly 6 pp100 year over year, accounting for the majority of the overall 7 pp100 increase in reported problems. These smaller engines, as well as large diesel engines, tend to be more troublesome than 5- and 6-cylinder engines, for which owners report fewer problems, on average. Problems such as engine hesitation, rough transmission shifts and lack of power were widely reported.
Lexus ranked highest in vehicle dependability among all nameplates for a third consecutive year. The gap between Lexus and all other brands is breathtaking, with Lexus averaging 68 pp 100 compared with second-ranked Mercedes-Benz at 104. Following Mercedes-Benz in the rankings are Cadillac (107), Acura (109) and Buick (112), respectively.
Compared to the industry buy cheap accutane online average of 133 pp 100, Mini at 185 was dead last. Other quality challenged automakers well below average included Dodge (181), Land Rover (179), Jeep (178), Hyundai (169), Mitsubishis (166), Ram (165), VW (158), Chrysler (155), Scion (153), Volvo (152), Kia (151 and Audi (151).
General Motors Company received eight segment awards, more than any other automaker in 2014 for the Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS (tie), Cadillac Escalade, Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Volt, GMC Sierra HD, GMC Sierra LD, and GMC Yukon. Toyota Motor Corporation won seven awards for the Lexus ES, Lexus GS, Lexus LS (tie), Lexus RX, Scion xB, Toyota Camry, and Toyota Sienna. Honda Motor Company received six model-level awards for the Acura RDX, Honda CR-V, Honda Crosstour, Honda Element, Honda Fit, and Honda Ridgeline. Mini received one model-level award for the MINI Cooper.
“Until this year, we have seen a continual improvement in vehicle dependability,” says David Sargent, of J.D. Power, the source of the data. “However, some of the changes that automakers implemented for the 2011 model year have led to a noticeable increase in problems reported.”
J.D. Power claims that the Vehicle Dependability Study is used by manufacturers and suppliers worldwide to help them design and build better vehicles, which typically translates into higher resale values and customer loyalty. It also helps consumers make more-informed choices for both new- and used-vehicle purchases.
The 2014 Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from more than 41,000 original owners of 2011 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. The study was conducted between October and December 2013.
