GS69

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/18/tesl...ity-study.html

JD Power says Lexus is most dependable auto brand, ranks Tesla 30th out of 33

Published Thu, Feb 18 202111:00 AM ESTUpdated Thu, Feb 18 202111:05 AM EST
Lora Kolodny@lorakolodny
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Key Points

• According to a new J.D. Power study, the 3 most dependable auto brands in the U.S. are now Lexus, Porsche and Kia.
• Chrysler, Tesla, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and Land Rover are in the bottom 5 when it comes to dependability.
• The 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study by J.D. Power looked into 33 different auto brands, and about 150 different models including cars, SUVs and trucks.

The 2018 Lexus LC 500
Mack Hogan | CNBCThe three most dependable auto brands in the U.S. are now Lexus, Porsche and Kia, according to a new J.D. Power study. The 3 least dependable are Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and Land Rover.

Tesla, which was profiled for the 1st time in this year’s vehicle dependability study, came in 30th out of 33 automakers. It landed 1 place behind Chrysler and 1 ahead of Jaguar.

J.D. Power studies serve as an industry benchmark, and its results can drive sales and impact insurance premiums for owners. The 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study analyzed responses from 33,251 verified owners of 2018 model-year vehicles sold in the U.S. The study assessed around 150 different models including cars, trucks and SUVs.

Tesla’s ranking in the 32-year-old annual study this year is considered unofficial, said Dave Sargent, J.D. Power’s vice president of automotive quality. That’s because Elon Musk’s electric vehicle venture doesn’t grant J.D. Power permission to survey its owners in 15 states that require this.

One of the excluded states is California, Tesla’s home base and a massive market for the company. However, the J.D. Power study included 756 Tesla respondents from 35 different states including major markets with comparably warm weather like Florida and Texas.

While Tesla rated unofficially low on the dependability survey, it unofficially topped J.D. Power’s 2020 APEAL survey, which rates vehicle brands by owners’ emotional attachment and level of excitement with their new vehicles.

Who’s up, who’s down

The dependability survey asks drivers how many and what kind of problems their cars, trucks or SUVs experienced in the past year and assigns a score based on problems reported per 100 vehicles. The lower the score, the more dependable the automaker.

The greatest number of problems reported by vehicle owners across all makes and models concerned audio, communication, entertainment and navigation systems.

“With smartphone apps increasingly giving owners an alternative, some will give up on the vehicle’s built-in systems that caused that initial frustration. That’s problematic for automakers, as a lot of the vehicle’s value is tied up in these systems and they don’t want to hand this business over to third parties,” said Sargent.

The Porsche 911 was the highest-ranked model in the 2021 study.

Toyota-owned Lexus topped the list among all brands, with a score of 81 problems per 100 vehicles.

Kia vehicles have notably risen from among the least dependable auto brands in the U.S. to most dependable in just a decade, with 97 problems per 100 vehicles on average. Toyota was near the top of the list with 98 problems per 100 vehicles.

Volkswagen, which introduced two new models in 2018, slid in the dependability rankings. Sargent noted: “Results can be affected by whether a manufacturer has just launched a bunch of new products. They tend to be the most problematic their first year out.”

Owners of 3-year-old Teslas reported 176 problems per 100 vehicles, compared with the industry average in the U.S. of 121 problems per 100 vehicles. Tesla owners reported more problems with their exterior and interior than with other systems like propulsion, battery or infotainment and navigation. However, some did complain about troubles with Tesla’s in-vehicle voice recognition.

Overall, vehicle dependability improved by about 10% year over year, J.D. Power found. Part of this was due to lower use and abuse of vehicles amid a Covid pandemic that has restricted commuting and travel in 2020 stateside.

“We know the more people use a vehicle the more problems they’re going to have,” Sargent said. Last year, on average consumers had driven about 32,000 miles over 3 years of new vehicle ownership. This year, they had driven 29,000 miles -- representing a 10% reduction over a three-year period, and an implied 30% reduction in the last year.

-- CNBC’s Michael Wayland contributed to this report.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

J.D. Power’s 2021 Vehicle Dependability Study brand rankings (problems per 100 vehicles)

Lexus (81)

Porsche (86)

Kia (97)

Toyota (98)

Buick (100)

Cadillac (100)

Hyundai (101)

Genesis (102)

Lincoln (106)

Acura (108)

BMW (108)

Chevrolet (115)

Mitsubishi (116)

Mazda (121)

Mercedes-Benz (122)

Ram (123)

Dodge (125)

Mini (125)

Subaru (125)

Audi (127)

Nissan (128)

Ford (130)

Infiniti (137)

Jeep (141)

GMC (143)

Volvo (143)

Honda (145)

Volkswagen (163)

Chrysler (166)

Tesla (176)*

Jaguar (186)

Alfa Romeo (196)

Land Rover (244)

*Tesla did not allow its vehicle owners to be surveyed, so it did not technically meet J.D. Power’s ranking criteria, but the study leaders independently obtained enough data to give the brand a score.

GS69

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money...vs/6785512002/

These are the 19 most dependable vehicles, according to J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study

Some people – or, in this case, cars – have everything going for them.

The Porsche 911 is one of them. The sports car, which is often listed as one of the most collectible vehicles in the auto industry, can now add another accolade to its trophy case: most dependable.

The Porsche 911 ranks as the best performer in J.D. Power’s 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, a closely followed annual list that automakers often trumpet in their marketing campaigns.

It’s not a big surprise. The Porsche brand overall ranked as the second most dependable lineup of vehicles, trailing only Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand.

But you don’t have to buy a luxury car to get a reliable ride these days. In fact, vehicle dependability reached an all-time in the 2021 study as the number of problems reported by owners fell by 10% from the previous year.

The 32nd annual study tracks 177 specific problems in eight categories, including powertrain issues, exterior flaws, infotainment defects and HVAC problems.

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This year’s study assesses the 2018 model year, allowing for 3 years of road experience to assess how 33,251 owners say their vehicles have held up.

On average, owners reported 121 problems per 100 vehicles, down from 134 in 2020.

Lexus was best at 81, Porsche second at 86, Kia third at 97, Toyota 4th at 98 and Buick and Cadillac tied for fifth at 100.

Tesla was assessed for the first time and had more problems than all but 3 brands: Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and Land Rover. Owners reported 176 problems for every 100 Tesla vehicles.
J.D. Power also names the most dependable model in each major vehicle segment. Toyota won five categories, while General Motors won four and Hyundai four. (Scroll down for the full list.)

J.D. Power’s 2021 Vehicle Dependability Study brand rankings (problems per 100 vehicles)

Lexus (81)

Porsche (86)

Kia (97)

Toyota (98)

Buick (100)

Cadillac (100)

Hyundai (101)

Genesis (102)

Lincoln (106)

Acura (108)

BMW (108)

Chevrolet (115)

Mitsubishi (116)

Mazda (121)

Mercedes-Benz (122)

Ram (123)

Dodge (125)

Mini (125)

Subaru (125)

Audi (127)

Nissan (128)

Ford (130)

Infiniti (137)

Jeep (141)

GMC (143)

Volvo (143)

Honda (145)

Volkswagen (163)

Chrysler (166)

Tesla (176)*

Jaguar (186)

Alfa Romeo (196)

Land Rover (244)

*Tesla did not allow its vehicle owners to be surveyed, so it did not technically meet J.D. Power’s ranking criteria, but the study leaders independently obtained enough data to give the brand a score.

J.D. Power 2021 Vehicle Dependability Study most dependable models, by segment (assesses 2018 models)

Most dependable model: Porsche 911

Compact car: Volkswagen Beetle

Compact premium car: Lexus ES

Midsize car: Kia Optima

Midsize premium car: Genesis G80

Midsize sporty car: Chevrolet Camaro

Large car: Toyota Avalon

Small premium car: BMW 2 Series

Compact SUV: Buick Envision

Compact premium SUV: Porsche Macan

Midsize SUV: Kia Sorento

Midsize premium SUV: Lexus GX

Large SUV: Chevrolet Tahoe

Small SUV: Kia Sportage

Small premium SUV: Mercedes-Benz GLA

Minivan: Toyota Sienna

Midsize pickup: Nissan Frontier

Large light-duty pickup: Toyota Tundra

Large heavy-duty pickup: Chevrolet Silverado HD

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

2020 for comparison


2021

Toys4RJill

wow what a fall

JDR76

Lots of great, reliable choices. It's good to see the industry average take a good leap forward, from 134 PP100 to 121 PP100.

LH1

Lol Land Rover getting worse.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Cars are more mechanically sound than ever. It's the technology inside that are prone to issues or 'gremlins' as I call them.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

good timing as my genesis lease is about up and i just bought a lexus.

mmarshall

Cadillac and Lincoln both seemed to have moved up quite a bit in the last year or two...both were once well down on the list, particularly for Cadillac.

Buick, as is often the case, once again ranks quite high, but, even as a Buick fan myself, I'd say one may have to take that wth a grain of salt. One hypothetical reason for its often-good showing (and there may be some credibility to it) is that many Buick drivers, in general, don't put a lot of miles on their vehicles or drive them in an aggressive manner that would put stress and wear on them. The flip side to that, of course, is that many Cadillac drivers (except for the V-models) tend to come from the same pool as Back drivers (only with a little more money to spend), and tend to drive in the same manner....yet their vehicles, until now, have been unreliable.

Motorola

At the same time, Kia is now above Toyota.

Win some, lose some. The real tragedy here is Honda.

Freds430

Just six years ago Honda was 5th and previous to that was always in the top five.

mmarshall

I can remember when Honda was the industry-standard.....even more so than Toyota.

Lurker9

Darn it, really looking forward to getting the Cybertruck. It would be interesting owning the best and the (almost) worst dependable vehicles.

Freds430

It is not just being #1 but the consistency. J D Power has ranked Lexus over the last eleven years #1 nine times and #2 twice. Any car manufacturer would die for such a record. Lexus is also ranked #1 in lowest depreciation and customer loyalty. Car brands ranked by the best buyers experience Lexus was tied with Mercedes for #2. Lincoln was #1. How funny Tesla #30 out of 33 with no engine and transmission.