JD Power Initial Quality 2014, not what you expect

2014 BRAND RANKING

Average problems per 100 vehicles of brand's whole line:

Porsche 74
Jaguar 87
Lexus 92
Hyundai 94
Toyota 105
Chevrolet 106
Kia 106
BMW 108
Honda 108
Lincoln 109
Audi 111
Chrysler 111
Cadillac 115
Mercedes-Benz 115
Volvo 115
Ford 116
GMC 116
Ram 116
INDUSTRY AVERAGE
Buick 120
Nissan 120
Dodge 124
Land Rover 127
Infiniti 128
Volkswagen 128
Acura 131Acura below industry average?

Mini 133
Subaru 138
Mazda 139
Scion 140
Mitsubishi 145
Jeep 146
Fiat 206

BEST INDIVIDUAL MODELS BY TYPE

Small car: Hyundai Accent, Mazda2, Kia Rio

Compact car: Hyundai Elantra, Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic

Compact premium car: Lexus ES Acura TL, Acura ILX (tie), BMW 4 Series (tie)

Compact sporty car: Mazda MX-5 Miata, Volkswagen GTI, Scion tC

Compact premium sporty car: Porsche Boxster, Porsche Cayman, Nissan Z

Midsize car: Chevrolet Malibu, Hyundai Sonata, Toyota Camry

Midsize sporty car: Dodge Challenger, Chevrolet Camaro

Midsize premium car: Hyundai Genesis, Lincoln MKS, BMW 6 Series (tie), Lexus GS (tie), Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class (tie)

Midsize premium sporty car: Porsche 911, Jaguar F-Type

Large car: Kia Cadenza, Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon

Large premium car: Porsche Panamera, Lexus LS, Hyundai Equus

Small SUV: Buick Encore (tie), Kia Sportage (tie), Nissan Juke (tie)

Compact SUV: GMC Terrain, Chevrolet Equinox, Toyota FJ Cruiser

Compact premium SUV: Infiniti QX50, BMW X3, Audi Q5

Compact MPV: Mazda5, Kia Soul, Ford C-Max

Midsize SUV: Ford Edge, Hyundai Santa Fe (tie) Nissan Murano (tie)

Midsize premium SUV: Lincoln MKX, Porsche Cayenne, Infiniti QX70

Midsize pickup: Honda Ridgeline, Nissan Frontier (tie) Toyota Tacoma (tie)Notice the Honda did better than the guys known for building great little trucks

Minivan: Chrysler Town & Country, Toyota Sienna, Dodge Grand Caravan

Large SUV: Chevrolet Suburban (tie) GMC Yukon (tie), Chevrolet Tahoe

Large premium SUV: Infiniti QX80, Cadillac Escalade

Large light-duty pickup: Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra, Ram 1500

Large heavy-duty pickup: Chevrolet Silverado HD, GMC Sierra HD

Ford needs to get rid of the Microsoft MyFord touch thing.

Flight Service wrote: Ford needs to go away forever

FTFY

JD Powers sucks.
When I worked for ATT, we won some JDP award but could not mention it in our advertising unless we paid JDP huge sums of money.
In short, JDP is in the business of getting results and then selling those results.
The have a survey that pretty much puts everyone at the top.

Their crappiest auto award is the APEAL Award:

The J.D. Power and Associates Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study examines what consumers like about their new vehicles after 90 days of ownership. Often referred to as "things gone right," APEAL is based on eight categories of vehicle performance and design: engine/transmission; ride, handling and braking; comfort/convenience; seats; cockpit/instrument panel; heating, ventilation and cooling; sound system; and styling/exterior.

Their 2013 winner for Mid-Sized is The Passat
See what GRM's have to say about the same Passat.

nicksta43 wrote:

Flight Service wrote: GM needs to go away forever

FTFY

No, I fixed that for you!

In reply to Flight Service:

"Initial" problems doesn't mean a whole lot to me. Maybe it is an indicator of build quality, but all those problems get fixed under warranty. It is the long term problems that I'd want to know about. And "best" cars in category? Based on what? Best suits its design parameters for that category? Lowest cost to operate? Most reliable? What?

After browsing NASIOC looking for potential 2015 WRX issues. It seems a lot of problems with their new vehicles are user induced. Subaru's numbers should have an asterisk next to it for flat brimmers.

Basil Exposition wrote: In reply to Flight Service: "Initial" problems doesn't mean a whole lot to me. Maybe it is an indicator of build quality, but all those problems get fixed under warranty. It is the long term problems that I'd want to know about. And "best" cars in category? Based on what? Best suits its design parameters for that category? Lowest cost to operate? Most reliable? What?

This is owner problems during the first 90 days of ownership. Or as I like to put it, did the factory do it's job.

Flight Service wrote: Ford needs to get rid of the Microsoft MyFord touch thing.

We announced that MS is getting dropped in favor of Blackberry. That was a few months ago.

Flight Service wrote:

Basil Exposition wrote: In reply to Flight Service: "Initial" problems doesn't mean a whole lot to me. Maybe it is an indicator of build quality, but all those problems get fixed under warranty. It is the long term problems that I'd want to know about. And "best" cars in category? Based on what? Best suits its design parameters for that category? Lowest cost to operate? Most reliable? What?

This is owner problems during the first 90 days of ownership. Or as I like to put it, did the factory do it's job.

It's also an indicator of a good idea gone bad. See auto shifting manual and MS's MyFordTouch. Both are pretty darned reliable. But have things to be desired for in terms of operation.

alfadriver wrote:

Flight Service wrote: Ford needs to get rid of the Microsoft MyFord touch thing.

We announced that MS is getting dropped in favor of Blackberry. That was a few months ago.

Are they gonna mount a track ball in the middle of it and then drop all support for radios?

Everyone of the infotainment systems in cars is more than it needs to be. Honestly give me a radio and speakers version of what Apple TV is to iPhone and I would be happy.

The problem with in car "infotainment" programs are that all the great programmers and electrical engineers go to the valley. Who would want to go work for a car company? I hear that some companies are opening up shop in the valley but are they offering competitive salaries? I've never had experience with Ford's sync or any others aside from Honda's which isn't really anything except for a navigation system. I hear their new package is nice.

I would guess that maybe half of the problems are check engine light related.

Oh, and Porsche and Jaguar being in the top 2 spots is surprising.

maybe I'm completely wrong, but I operate under the assumption that all these consumer reports type deals are completely crooked bull-e36m3. These don't strike me as scientifically sound studies.

Mr_Clutch42 wrote: I would guess that maybe half of the problems are check engine light related. Oh, and Porsche and Jaguar being in the top 2 spots is surprising.

Porsche has been up there for a very long time. Jag used to compete with Range Rover for the worst for a very long time.

carbon wrote: maybe I'm completely wrong, but I operate under the assumption that all these consumer reports type deals are completely crooked bull-e36m3. These don't strike me as scientifically sound studies.

Based on how seriously they are taken by the OEM's, I don't get the feeling that they are BS.

Oh, things like this are not really required to be scientificially sound, as much of it is about preception. Which goes a LONG way in making a decision about cars.

Flight Service wrote:

alfadriver wrote:

Flight Service wrote: Ford needs to get rid of the Microsoft MyFord touch thing.

We announced that MS is getting dropped in favor of Blackberry. That was a few months ago.

Are they gonna mount a track ball in the middle of it and then drop all support for radios? Everyone of the infotainment systems in cars is more than it needs to be. Honestly give me a radio and speakers version of what Apple TV is to iPhone and I would be happy.

In hindsight (or in real sight, if you payed attention to the timing), hiring Apple to do the job would have been a good idea. However much one can question thier business practices, it's hard to argue that the products just work. Especially for those who are not really comfortable with the tech.

Does anyone really make a bad car anymore? Even my MILs latest VW has only been to the dealer twice in the year she 's owned it.

alfadriver wrote:

Flight Service wrote:

alfadriver wrote:

Flight Service wrote: Ford needs to get rid of the Microsoft MyFord touch thing.

We announced that MS is getting dropped in favor of Blackberry. That was a few months ago.

Are they gonna mount a track ball in the middle of it and then drop all support for radios? Everyone of the infotainment systems in cars is more than it needs to be. Honestly give me a radio and speakers version of what Apple TV is to iPhone and I would be happy.

In hindsight (or in real sight, if you payed attention to the timing), hiring Apple to do the job would have been a good idea. However much one can question thier business practices, it's hard to argue that the products just work. Especially for those who are not really comfortable with the tech.

You hit the nail on the head, but also, why isn't Ford doing it now that Apple is available?

In reply to Flight Service:

dunno. pride? arrogant thinking that apple sucks? Could be that someone snubbed apple, so they won't even let us take a bite. Lest we forget, there is still an ongoing battle between MS and Apple. Ford chose MS, and apple may not forget that.

What really bugs me that the time that the touch screen system came out, easy to operate and quick tablets were available. And the system that came out was slow and did't respond to touch well. WTF.

(thankfully, I've read that blackberry is very compatable with Apple stuff....)

Wally wrote: Does anyone really make a bad car anymore? Even my MILs latest VW has only been to the dealer twice in the year she 's owned it.

Not really. But preception does matter.

So riddle me this, how is Toyota and Lexus near the top but Scion near the bottom?

Also big props to Jaguar for at least trying to step up their quality.

In reply to 93EXCivic: this is returns to the dealers in the first 90 days.

Scion is an entry level brand. Maybe corners were cut just a little to close.

Flight Service wrote: In reply to 93EXCivic: this is returns to the dealers in the first 90 days. Scion is an entry level brand. Maybe corners were cut just a little to close.

Right, this is why I don't put much value on that initial survey. It's only the first 90 days. Plus I think it includes filed about a vehicle system, not just quality. So if someone complains about the MyTouch system being difficult to understand, not anything actually "wrong" with it, it counts in that survey.

Show me quality results after 5 years and 100,000 miles. Somehow I'd bet the results are quite different.