Porsche is top premium brand in JD Power quality survey

Porsche ranked highest among premium brands and seventh overall in the JD Power 2024 US Initial Quality Study (IQS) released this week.

After placing second in 2023, the German marque moved to the top this year with a score of 172 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), ahead of Lexus (174) and Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis (184). A lower score reflects higher vehicle quality.

In the 38th edition of the study, American brands Ram (149 PP100) and Chevrolet (160) were the two highest-ranking overall, with Korea’s Hyundai (162) in third.

Toyota Motor Corporation had the highest-ranking model overall, the Lexus LC, with 106 PP100.

Dodge was the worst performing brand (301) followed by Volvo and Audi (both on 242).

About 100,000 new car owners in the US of more than 200 models and more than 30 brands took part in the study. After 90 days of vehicle use, they were asked about 227 possible quality abnormalities in ten categories. Among characteristics evaluated were “interior” or “driving dynamics”.

The introduction of new technology has challenged manufacturers to maintain vehicle quality, said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at JD Power. 

“However, the industry can take solace in the fact that some problem areas such as voice recognition and parking cameras are seen as less problematic now than they were a year ago.”

Proponents of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) often state these vehicles should be less problematic and require fewer repairs than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles because they had fewer parts and systems, he said. However, newly incorporated repair data shows BEVs, as well as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), require more repairs than ICE vehicles in all repair categories.

“Owners of cutting-edge, tech-filled BEVs and PHEVs are experiencing problems that are of a severity level high enough for them to take their new vehicle into the dealership at a rate three times higher than that of ICE-powered vehicle owners,” Hanley said.

Petrol- and diesel-powered vehicles averaged 180 PP100 this year, while BEVs are 86 points higher at 266 PP100.

The 2024 study found frustration rising from false warnings, such as rear seat belt reminder technology that is designed to help vehicle owners avoid inadvertently leaving a child or pet in the rear seat when exiting the vehicle.

JD Power said some owners mistakenly perceived that it signalled an unbuckled seat belt and it sometimes went off when no-one was in the rear seat. Furthermore, advanced driver assistance systems, intended to save lives and reduce injuries, were irritating vehicle owners with inaccurate and annoying alerts from the rear cross-traffic warning and reverse automatic emergency braking features, a new feature in this year’s survey.

Problems with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay persist as the feature remains one of the top 10 problems. Customers most frequently experience difficulties connecting to their vehicle or losing connection. Over 50% of Apple users and 42% of Samsung users access their respective feature every time they drive, illustrating that customers want their smartphone experience brought into the vehicle and also desire the feature to be integrated wirelessly.

Features, controls and displays is the second-most problematic category in the study, slightly better than the notoriously issue-prone infotainment category. From such seemingly simple functions such as windshield wipers and rear-view mirror to the more intricate operation of an OEM smartphone application, this category is particularly troublesome in electric vehicles.

Unpleasant interior odour is an issue that has worsened the most from 2023, increasing in every brand except Kia and Nissan. Problem odours emanate from the vehicle’s heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, according to owners.