J.D. Power’s 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study is at an all-time high according to the company, with the overall level of issues cited by owners down 10 per cent year-over-year.
“The study results validate what we have known for some time,” said Dave Sargent, Vice President of Global Automotive at J.D. Power. “Automakers are making increasingly dependable vehicles — but there are still some problem areas that need to be addressed and some warning signs on the horizon.”
Now in its 32nd year, the study measures the number of problems per 100 vehicles experienced over the last 12 months by original owners of three-year-old vehicles. Lower scores suggest higher dependability, while higher scores reflect the opposite.
The study considers 177 specific problems, which are grouped into eight major vehicle categories: audio/communication/entertainment/navigation (ACEN); engine/transmission; exterior; interior; features/controls/displays (FCD); driving experience; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; and seats. J.D. Power said all categories improved this year, led by exterior and driving experience.
“Today’s three-year-old vehicles are of higher quality and more dependable than in previous years,” said Sargent. “Most owners aren’t experiencing their vehicles breaking down or falling apart but, for many, vehicle technology continues to function poorly or inconsistently. If an owner can’t rely on a system to work as they expect, it is also considered a lack of dependability.”
Sargent said this can not only impact the owner’s overall view of the vehicle, but also the likelihood of staying loyal to their automaker. In the future, Sargent said dependability will be partly determined by the ability to solve issues through vehicle updates “and the avoidance of technology obsolescence.”
Key findings in the study point to trucks and SUVs showing room for improvement (cars continue to be the segment with the most dependability). Owners of Asian brand vehicles experienced the least problems (Korean and Japanese brands performed well), and the most dependable model in the study is the Porsche 911 — it is the highest-ranked model in the 2021 study.
Lexus ranked highest in overall vehicle dependability among all brands, followed by Porsche, Kia, Toyota, Buick, and Cadillac. Kia is described as showing the greatest improvement (a reduction of 35 PP100 from 2020), and ranks highest overall among mass market brands. Other brands above industry average showing the greatest improvement (in PP100) are Cadillac, Acura and Hyundai — all by 31 PP100, and Mitsubishi by 30 PP100.
Toyota Motor Corporation received five segment awards for the Lexus ES, Lexus GX, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Sienna and Toyota Tundra. General Motors received four segment awards for the Buick Envision, Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Silverado HD and Chevrolet Tahoe. Hyundai Motor Group also received four segment awards for the Genesis G80, Kia Optima, Kia Sorento and Kia Sportage. And Chevrolet, Kia and Toyota each receive three segment awards — the most among all brands in the study.
It is also worth mentioning is that Tesla profiled for the first time in the study and received a score of 176 PP100.
The brand did not officially rank among the others as it does not meet all the criteria, and unlike other OEMs, Tesla does not grant J.D. Power permission to survey its owners in the states it needs to for the survey. “However, Tesla’s score was calculated based on a robust sample of surveys from owners in the other 35 states,” said J.D. Power in its news release.
The study is based on responses from 33,251 original owners of 2018 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership, and was fielded from July 2020 through November 2020.
