Car Talk: 2012 JD Power Quality Rankings Released

[Woochifer]

JD Power's initial quality ranking for the 2012 models is now out. The JD Power survey is the largest auto survey of its kind in the U.S. and the findings cover the first 90 days of ownership and over 200 individual items. While this survey does not cover long-term reliability, trends identified in past IQS surveys have frequently been reconfirmed in other long-term reliability studies. The IQS is important because it points to where the trends are going for different car companies, since other reliability studies cover large samples of cars that are no longer made.

The 2012 IQS results don't reveal a whole lot of big surprises. The findings seem to continue a number of themes that had been playing out over the past couple of years.

J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Despite Continuing Challenges with In-Vehicle Technology, Automakers Post a Strong Improvement in Initial Quality - MarketWatch

-In general, the overall industry average finds continued improvement in product quality. The industry average now shows 102 problems (defects, malfunctions, etc.) per 100 vehicles. In 2011, the number was 107, and 109 in 2010.

-The product quality improvements would have been even greater if not for the huge jump in problems associated with the audio, entertainment, and navigation systems. Since 2006, the overall number of problems has declined by 26%, but the audio/entertainment system problems have increased by 45%. With automakers now in an arms race trying to one up one another with technology features, this trend doesn't show any signs of slowing down.

-Lexus is back on top, and Jaguar made the biggest leap, going from #21 last year into the #2 spot for 2012.

-The top non-luxury brand is once again Honda, which ranks #5 overall. It helps that most of their 2012 lineup was carried over with minimal changes, and Honda has been exceedingly gun shy about deploying a lot of technology features into its cars. Consumer Reports found that the age of a car design has a big effect on reliability -- on average, a car model by its 3rd year of production will improve its reliability by ~15%.

-Problems with their Microsoft-designed touchscreen controls continue to drag Ford down the rankings. They are now #27 after rising to #5 just two years ago.

-Nissan rebounds after dropping down to #24 last year. They're now tied for 12th with GMC and Dodge/Ram.

-GM improved across the board, with Cadillac, GMC, and Chevy all ranking above the industry average, and their other divisions improving their ranking and PP100 scores.

-If not for Ford's woes, Hyundai would probably have made the biggest news with their continued slide down the IQS rankings. Hyundai was the top-ranked non-luxury brand three years ago at #4. They are now below the industry average, and tied for #18. No surprise, Hyundai has also been cramming technology features into their cars, and has introduced several new models over the past couple of years, including all new drivetrain designs.

-I expected to see Mazda also take a nosedive, because they introduced an all-new drivetrain for the Mazda3 (their biggest seller). But, while Mazda's ranking dropped from #5 to #10, their PP100 score actually improved, and the Mazda3 ranked #4 among all compact cars (behind the Toyota Corolla, Prius, and Honda Civic).

Here are the 2012 results:

2012 Nameplate IQS Ranking
Problems per 100 (PP100) Vehicles
Lexus 73
Jaguar 75
Porsche 75
Cadillac 80
Honda 83
Acura 84
Infiniti 84
Toyota 88
Mercedes-Benz 96
BMW 97
Mazda 97
GMC 99
Nissan 99
Ram 99
Chevrolet 100
Industry Average 102
Audi 105
Buick 106
Hyundai 107
Kia 107
Lincoln 107
Volvo 108
Subaru 109
Jeep 110
Suzuki 115
Chrysler 116
Scion 117
Ford 118
Land Rover 119
Dodge 124
Mitsubishi 124
Volkswagen 124
MINI 139
Fiat 151
smart 151

[Wes23]

I came across https://subaru-vidi.com.ua/ru/ while searching for Subaru dealerships in Ukraine, and I’m glad I found it. The website is well-structured, and the navigation makes it easy to explore different car models. I especially liked the news section—it’s great to stay updated on the latest Subaru innovations and events. The financing options are clearly explained, which is super helpful if you’re considering buying on credit. For Subaru fans, this site definitely ticks all the boxes!