J.D. Power survey finds vehicle quality keeps getting worse

New-vehicle quality — after hitting the lowest level in more than three decades last year — is getting worse, a J.D. Power survey found.

Technology is more prevalent, which creates more opportunities for problems to arise, and issues are cropping up with basic vehicle functions, such as the ease of opening doors, according to J.D. Power's 2023 U.S. Initial Quality Study. Those factors contributed to a record high number of vehicle problems this year, building on quality issues last year that stemmed from supply chain shortages and remote work, J.D. Power found.

On average, owners reported 192 problems per 100 vehicles industrywide, according to the survey, up from 180 a year earlier and 162 in 2021. The study, conducted from February through May and published Thursday, is based on responses from 93,380 buyers and lessees of new 2023 model-year vehicles.

New-vehicle quality improved at 12 of 33 brands ranked in the study: Dodge, Ram, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, Maserati, Jaguar, Subaru, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Audi, Chrysler and Volvo.

"It's not one thing that's deteriorating in the industry," said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power. "There's just a lot of little things going wrong, and it's adding up to big problems for customers."

The number of problems tracked per 100 vehicles rose 6.5 percent from 2022 to 2023, following an 11 percent rise from 2021 to 2022, Hanley said. Before then, the largest increase in problems in a given year was 3 percent, excluding years when the study was redesigned.

"I don't see this changing anytime soon," Hanley said. "With what they're doing and how they're handling these types of situations, we're still going down a very bumpy path."

Dodge rose from second place to No. 1 with 140 problems per 100 vehicles, followed by Ram with 141. Ram ranked 18th in 2022. Alfa Romeo improved to No. 3, with 143 problems per 100 vehicles, 68 fewer than a year ago; it also topped the rankings of premium brands.

Maserati was the most-improved brand, with 182 problems per 100 vehicles, 73 fewer than a year earlier.

Stellantis made significant gains, in part, because many vehicles carried over from the previous model year were largely unchanged, which tends to produce fewer problems than new launches and allows for improvement of existing features, Hanley said. Some of the automaker's brands posted double-digit improvements with audio and safety systems.

"The work they put in definitely has brought them to the top of the rank chart, and they earned where they're at," he said.

Buick and Chevrolet rounded out the top five, while GMC and Cadillac finished among the top 10. The General Motors brands also had a lot of vehicles carry over from the previous model year, Hanley said.

“This is the third time in four years we’ve had the highest initial quality among all automakers, and that sort of consistency shows a customer-first culture,” Juan Carlos Jimenez, vice president of quality for GM North America, said in a statement. “It also says a lot about the efforts of the entire GM team to design, build, sell and service a diverse selection of gas and electric vehicles.”

Ford Motor Co.'s brands had the largest year-over-year decline in initial quality, led by Lincoln with 208 problems per 100 vehicles, 41 more than last year. Ford had 201 problems per 100 vehicles, up 34, according to J.D. Power. Both brands had late vehicle launches, including the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair compact crossovers, that missed the survey window and affected the sales mix studied, Hanley said. The Escape and Corsair generally have less technology and content, which could mean fewer quality issues, he said.

"We’re committed to delivering quality experiences that customers expect and deserve from us, and we will not rest until we do just that," Ford said in a prepared statement Thursday.

"While 2023 Lincoln Corsair, Ford Escape and Ford Super Duty were not included in this year’s study, we’re confident we’re making progress to improve quality in newer models. Four models were in the top three of their segments including Bronco Sport, Maverick, Nautilus and Ranger. Customer feedback from sources like J.D. Power and our own internal measures are helping us pinpoint where to improve on the way to achieving best-in-class quality performance in high-volume segments and being among the leaders in all segments by 2025."

Toyota fell eight spots to No. 22, dropping below the industry average at 194 problems per 100 vehicles. Hanley said Toyota introduced a new audio system last year on the Tundra full-size pickup and has since added it to other vehicles.

New technologies "tend to be more problematic," Hanley said. He said Toyota "did fix a bunch of the problems" on the Tundra this year," so scores related to the truck did improve.

"But they got those issues on the new models that they rolled it out to," he added. "You try to introduce new technologies to update your cars, and it's hard to get right on the first pass."

A spokesman for Toyota said the Japanese automaker was "still studying" the results and didn't have a comment at this time.

J.D. Power surveys vehicle buyers and lessees about their vehicle's infotainment system; features, controls and displays; exterior; interior; driver-assist technologies; powertrain; seats; climate system; and driving experience. None of the areas studied saw an improvement in quality compared with 2022. Driving experience remained constant, while scores in every other category declined.

Wireless smartphone charging pads had "the biggest deterioration year over year," with consumers reporting issues with overheating and lost connectivity, J.D. Power said. Door handles have become harder to open, particularly on electric vehicles, as automakers redesign them with a nod toward aerodynamics. Consumers also reported more problems than a year ago with advanced driver-assist technologies, such as lane-departure and forward collision warnings.

EVs, with 260 problems per 100 vehicles, also performed more poorly than gasoline-powered vehicles, which had 181, Hanley said.

Tesla had 257 problems per 100 vehicles, while Polestar had 313. Neither EV brand was eligible to be ranked because they don't allow J.D. Power to survey owners in some states. Tesla remains hampered by problems with driver-assist technologies and manufacturing imperfections, Hanley said.

To reverse the decline in quality, Hanley said, automakers should consider real-world usage of features and ensure they are customer-friendly.

"You're taking something like the charging pad that should be a surprise and delight for a customer and you're turning it into a problem for them," he said.