June 20 (UPI) — New vehicle quality has improved overall and three South Korean automakers were rated in the top 10 of J.D. Power’s newest quality ratings Wednesday.
The annual J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study measures the number of problems per 100 vehicles reported this year by new car buyers in the United States in the first 90 days of ownership.
The report cited an industry average of 93 problems per 100 vehicles, a 4 percent improvement over 2017’s rating.
The Porsche 911 was rated first with a score of 48. Three South Korean automakers — Genesis, Hyundai and Kia also appeared in the Top 10 of models with the fewest reported problems. Genesis is Hyundai’s premium car division.
The top 10 models after the 911 are the Nissan Maxima, Genesis G90, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Rio, Nissan Altima, Toyota Corolla, Buick Envision, Ford Taurus and BMW 7 Series.
In brand rankings, Genesis was the leader, followed by Kia, Hyundai, Porsche, Ford, Chevrolet, Lincoln, Lexus, Ram and Nissan. Of 31 brands considered, the three lowest scores went to Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover. Specialty, low-volume makers like Tesla and Rolls-Royce were not included in the survey.
All U.S.-based car companies improved in the quality survey with figures better than the 4 percent average. Fiat Chrysler improved by seven problems per 100, General Motors by five and Ford by four.
The survey noted that in-dash audio and communications issues were responsible for most problems, but scores in that category improved for the third consecutive year.
“There’s no question that most automakers are doing a great job of listening to consumers and are producing vehicle quality of the highest caliber,” said Dave Sargent, J.D. Power vice president. “That said, some vehicle owners are still finding problems. As vehicles become more complex and automated, it is critical that consumers have complete confidence in automakers’ ability to deliver fault-free vehicles.”
The results were based on responses to 233 questions from over 75,700 owners of 2018 vehicles from February to May.
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