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J.D. Power Names the Top 2024 Vehicles in Initial Quality
The Empire Strikes Back: GM Leads 2024 JD Power Initial Quality Scores
20 Slides
Category winners of the 2024 J.D. Power IQS.Lexus, Ford, Ram, Chevrolet
Kia
Kia Forte
Nissan Sentra
Hyundai Elantra
BMW
BMW 2-Series
Lexus
Lexus IS
Cadillac CT4
BMW 3-Series
Toyota
Toyota Camry
Nissan Altima
Chevrolet Malibu
Genesis
Genesis G80
BMW 5-Series
Lexus
Lexus LC
Porsche 911
Chevrolet Corvette
Ford Motor Co.
Ford Bronco Sport
Kia Seltos
Kia Soul
Lexus
Lexus UX
Audi Q3
Chevrolet
Chevrolet Equinox
GMC Terrain
Hyundai Tucson
BMW
BMW X4
Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Porsche Macan
Nissan
Nissan Murano
Chevrolet Blazer
Ford Edge
Cadillac
Cadillac XT5
Lexus RX
Chevrolet
Chevrolet Traverse
Ford Explorer
Kia Telluride
Cadillac
Cadillac XT6
Porsche Cayenne
Genesis GV80
Chevrolet
Chevrolet Tahoe
Chevrolet Suburban
Infiniti
Infiniti QX80
Cadillac Escalade
Land Rover Range Rover
Kia
Kia Carnival
Hyundai
Hyundai Santa Cruz
Ford Maverick
Nissan Frontier
Stellantis
Ram 1500
Chevrolet
Chevrolet Silverado HD
Ford Super Duty
Ram 2500/3500
Chevrolet
Chevrolet Silverado HD
Ford Super Duty
Ram 2500/3500
At a Glance
- The Lexus LC earned the highest score for a model
- Ram trucks earned the highest score for a brand
- General Motors had the most models win their category, with six
The quality rating stalwarts at J.D. Power have bolstered the quality and credibility of their automotive initial quality scores for 2024 with the addition of real-world dealer service records in addition to their customary Voice of the Customer owner survey data.
The result is more trustworthy rankings that for 2024 show that U.S. domestic automakers are in top form, with Ram pickups grabbing the best score for a brand and six General Motors models leading their respective product segments in the IQS score. Click through our photo gallery to see the winners along with the runners-up and third-place finishers. In some cases, fewer than three are listed because not enough models had good enough scores to make the cut.
The overarching trend this year is that electronic gadgets are not making customers happy, so the premium brands and electrified models that have more of those gadgets than conventionally powered models from mass-market brands have gotten worse ratings.
“It is not surprising that the introduction of new technology has challenged manufacturers to maintain vehicle quality,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power. “However, the industry can take solace in the fact that some problem areas such as voice recognition and parking cameras are seen as less problematic now than they were a year ago.”
Key findings from the 2024 Initial Quality Study:
Frustration rising from false warnings: Often, owners don’t understand what warnings mean. For instance, rear seat reminder technology, designed to help vehicle owners avoid inadvertently leaving a child or pet in the rear seat when exiting the vehicle, contributes 1.7 PP100 across the industry. Some mistakenly perceive it signals an unbuckled seat belt or cite the warning goes off when no one is present in the rear seat. Furthermore, advanced driver assistance systems, intended to save lives and reduce injuries, are irritating vehicle owners with inaccurate and annoying alerts from rear cross traffic warning and reverse automatic emergency braking features, a newly added feature to the survey this year.
Owners want to cut the cord: Problems with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay persist as the feature remains one of the top 10 problems. Customers most frequently experience difficulties connecting to their vehicle or losing connection. More than 50 percent of Apple users and 42 percent of Samsung users access their respective feature every time they drive, illustrating that customers want their smartphone experience brought into the vehicle and also desire the feature to be integrated wirelessly.
In-vehicle controls are out of control: Features, controls and displays is the second most problematic category in the study, slightly better than only the notoriously issue-prone infotainment category. From such seemingly simple functions like windshield wipers and rear-view mirror to the more intricate operation of an OEM smartphone application, this category is particularly troublesome in EVs. The PP100 incidence in this category is more than 30 percent higher in EVs than in gas-powered vehicles. This is exacerbated by Tesla’s recent switch to steering wheel-mounted buttons for horn and turn signal functions, a change not well received by owners.
One problem area that stinks: While, figuratively, all vehicle problems stink, there is one problem that is increasingly prevalent: unpleasant interior smell. This issue has worsened the most from 2023, with every brand except Kia and Nissan having an increase in unpleasant interior smell problems. Problem odors are described by owners to be emanating from their vehicle’s heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems.
The U.S. Initial Quality Study is based this year on responses from 99,144 purchasers and lessees of new 2024 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. For the first time, the study additionally incorporates repair visit data based on hundreds of thousands of real-world events reported to franchised new-vehicle dealers.
The study is based on a battery of 227 questions plus relevant repair data, all of which is organized into 10 vehicle categories: infotainment; features, controls and displays; exterior; driving assistance; interior; powertrain; seats; driving experience; climate; and unspecified (unique to repair).
The study is designed to provide manufacturers with information to facilitate the identification of problems and to drive product improvement. The study was fielded from July 2023 through May 2024.
On a brand level, Ram led the way this year, followed by Chevrolet and Hyundai.
J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Initial Quality StudySM (IQS)
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