They affecting systems that are “critical for
building consumer trust in future automated
vehicles,” said Dave Sargent, J.D. Power’s vice
president of global automotive.
Overall, the number of problems reported by
owners held steady from last year at a record-
low 93 per 100 vehicles. The survey also found
that Korean brands Genesis, Kia and Hyundai
claimed the top three spots for the second year
in a row, and the gap between them and the rest
of the field is growing.
The Korean brands have been plagued by a
series of recalls and service campaigns to fix
engine failures and potential fire problems, but
that didn’t show in the survey.
Ford, Lincoln, Chevrolet, Nissan, Dodge, Lexus
and Toyota rounded out the top 10. Jaguar had
the most problems followed by Land Rover,
Mitsubishi, Alfa Romeo, Volvo, Volkswagen,
Subaru, Chrysler, Acura and Mini, the survey found.
U.S.-based brands generally were close to or better
than the industry average, while European brands
performed below average due to problems with
infotainment systems and other electronics.
Traditional problems such as paint
imperfections, brake and suspension noises,
engines not starting and illumination of the
“check engine” light are starting to creep back
into the survey, J.D. Power found.
Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury brand, had only 63
problems per 100 vehicles, while Kia had 70
and Hyundai had 71, according to the survey.
Jaguar had 130 problems. Land Rover was most
improved, shedding 37 problems from last year
to hit a still-high 123.