What is the most common challenge that new vehicle owners are faced with today?
The answer is smartphone connectivity, according to the J.D. Power 2021 Initial Quality Study (IQS).
The study notes that new vehicle quality improved only 2 per cent from 2020—less than the average rate of improvement of 3 per cent seen during the last decade, thanks largely to the connectivity issue within the infotainment systems as a key challenge preventing faster improvement.
“Owners are caught in the middle when vehicle and phone technologies don’t properly connect,” said Dave Sargent, Vice President of Automotive Quality at J.D. Power. “This year there are many examples of smartphone technology not working as intended in new vehicles.”
With more vehicles being fitted with the wireless technology, J.D. Power said the study indicates that there is an increase in connectivity problems between smartphones and vehicles, resulting in many unhappy owners.
The report’s key findings show that infotainment remains the most problematic category, with 25 per cent of all problems cited by new vehicle owners being in this category. Furthermore, six of the top 10 problems across the industry are infotainment-related.
Within the infotainment category, smartphone connection—and not voice recognition—is the top problem. And the top complaint for the year is Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity.
“Owners want wireless connectivity, and the industry has responded,” said Sargent. “However, this has created a bigger technical challenge for both automakers and tech companies. Automakers generally are the ones facing the wrath of owners, but this is definitely a shared problem.”
He said drivers do not care who is at fault—“they just want their phone and their vehicle to talk to each other.”
J.D. Power measures initial quality by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100) during the first 90 days of ownership, with a lower score indicating higher quality. The industry average of 162 PP100 is 4 PP100—an improvement over 2020, with 20 of the 32 brands improving their quality from 2020.
Based on the report, Ram is the highest-ranking brand in overall initial quality for the first time, with a score of 128 PP100. Dodge ranks second with a score of 139 PP100, followed by Lexus (144 PP100)—the highest-ranking premium brand—and Mitsubishi with 144 PP100 (tied), and Nissan (146 PP100).
The parent corporation receiving the most model-level awards is Hyundai Motor Group (seven awards), followed by Toyota Motor Corporation (five), BMW AG (four), Nissan Motor (three), and General Motors Company and Stellantis NV (with two each). Within the brand category, Kia receives the most segment awards (five), followed by BMW (four).
On vehicles, Hyundai models that rank highest are the Genesis G80, Hyundai Accent, Kia Forte, Kia Sedona, Kia Soul, Kia Sportage, and Kia Telluride.
For Toyota, it is the Lexus RC, Lexus RX, Lexus UX, Toyota Sequoia, and Toyota Tundra.
BMW AG models that rank highest in their segments are the BMW 2 Series, BMW X4, BMW X6, and BMW X7.
For Nissan models, it is the Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, and Nissan Murano.
General Motors models that rank highest in their segments are Cadillac CT5 and Chevrolet Corvette.
And for Stellantis NV models, it is the Jeep Gladiator and Ram 2500/3500.
It is also worth noting that mass market brands continue to outperform premium brands. “For the past six years, owners of mass market vehicles have cited fewer problems, on average, than owners of premium vehicles,” said J.D. Power.
Also, the Nissan Maxima with just 85 PP100 has the best score of any model in this year’s study. And Tesla’s unofficial score improved from 2020 after receiving an initial quality score of 231 PP100—an improvement of 19 PP100 from last year.
