General Motors models that ranked highest in their segments were the Chevrolet Silverado; Silverado HD; Sonic; and GMC Terrain.
New vehicle quality hit an all-time high this year, improving eight percent compared to last year. “So, strong success story for the two Korean brands”.
“The Initial Quality Study continues to demonstrate the critical importance of automakers responding to consumer feedback regarding vehicle quality”, said Dave Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power.
The survey, which is based on the answers of more than 80,000 consumers, measured complaints about 2017 model vehicles 90 days after they were purchased.
Falling below the industry average, for the first time ever, is long-time IQS leader Lexus.
Those categories include overall mechanical quality, powertrain mechanical quality, body and interior mechanical quality, features and accessories mechanical quality, overall design quality, powertrain design quality, body and interior design quality, and features and accessories design quality.
As for individual cars, JD Power ranks the Chevrolet Sonic as the best small vehicle. There is absolutely no compromise when it comes to the quality and safety of our vehicles. Sargent calls the new Pacifica, “Possibly the best launch from FCA we’ve seen in a decade”.
Fiat, ranked 32 last year and this year, scored 163 problems per 100 vehicles. Fiat finished second-to-last a year ago behind Smart, which is not on the 2017 IQS.
South Korean brands, meanwhile, have been steadily improving. Most declines are mild, although Jaguar’s score worsens by 21 problems per 100 vehicles.
Some Kia models were evaluated to have the highest quality among other models of the same segment.
Detroit Three brands make some big gains this year, with Ram and Ford among the most-improved in the survey, with 28 and 16 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, respectively.
While critics and skeptics might question the merit of examining a car’s quality after just three months of ownership, J.D. Power believes the first 90 days give a sufficient glimpse into the long-term reliability of a auto, truck or SUV. The largest increases in problems were for cruise control (primarily adaptive cruise); lane departure warning; collision avoidance/alert systems; and blind spot warning. “The rapid improvements rated by third-party quality experts such as J.D. Power motivate us to improve our fitness even more as quality is a race that’s never finished”. Chevy, sixth last year, Hyundai, third last year, and BMW, fifth last year, all tied for sixth this year, at 88 problems, and Nissan, 10 last year, and Volkswagen, 14 last year, tied for 10, at 93.
The Camry was the only Toyota vehicle to top its segment category in the 2017 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study. In the 15 years prior, the top spot was held by either Lexus or Porsche.