“It is typical in the automotive industry to roll out concepts and features by putting them in premium vehicles first,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power. “A bellwether for mass market brands looking to adopt and implement these technology features into their portfolio is in two of the industry’s preeminent studies, the J.D. Power Initial Quality StudySM (IQS) and the Vehicle Dependability Study. Connecting insights from the two studies better informs automakers by substantiating trends and showcasing how some automakers are preventing problems from occurring early on and throughout the ownership experience.”

Leading the industry’s improvement for fewer problems are mass market brands with 182 PP100, 8 PP100 lower than a year ago and 23 PP100 lower than for premium brands (205 PP100). The gap between the mass market and luxury segments is at its widest since the study started 34 years ago and reflects a trend that began in 2016. The main reason for the dependability disparity between the two segments is new technology introduced in vehicles. Premium brands usually have more technology, which increases complexity and the inherent likelihood of additional problems.

The 3-year-old vehicles measured in this year’s study were first examined in the 2020 U.S. Initial Quality Study.** Six of the 10 highest-ranked brands in the 2020 IQS are among the 10 highest-ranked brands in this year’s VDS. Some of the most deteriorated areas from 90 days to three years of ownership are starter battery failures, outdated maps, Android Auto/Apple Car Play and voice recognition problems. The increase in problems in the technology area shows the importance that over-the-air updates can play in correcting issues with audio systems and keeping the information in them up to date, in Power’s view.