Problems Plague BEVs Despite Traditional OEMs Leveling Playing Field with Tesla, J.D. Power Finds
June 27 2024 - 12:00PM
Business Wire
Ram Ranks
Highest Overall in Initial Quality Study; Porsche Ranks Highest
among Premium Brands
In its inaugural year incorporating franchise dealership repair
visits with the Voice of the Customer (VOC) data to create a more
expansive metric for problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), the J.D.
Power 2024 U.S. Initial Quality StudySM (IQS), released today, the
industry average is 195 PP100. Mass market brands, with a combined
average of 181 PP100, outperform the industry average. Meanwhile,
premium brands—often including more complicated systems and thus
more reliance on connectivity—average 232 PP100. A lower score
reflects higher vehicle quality.
“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.”
Proponents of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) often state these
vehicles should be less problematic and require fewer repairs than
gas-powered vehicles since they have fewer parts and systems.
However, newly incorporated repair data shows BEVs, as well as
plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), require more repairs than
gas-powered vehicles in all repair categories. “Owners of cutting
edge, tech-filled BEVs and PHEVs are experiencing problems that are
of a severity level high enough for them to take their new vehicle
into the dealership at a rate three times higher than that of
gas-powered vehicle owners,” Hanley said.
Gas- and diesel-powered vehicles average 180 PP100 this year,
while BEVs are 86 points higher at 266 PP100. While there are no
notable improvements in BEV quality this year, the gap between
Tesla’s BEV quality and that of traditional OEMs’ BEV quality has
closed, with both at 266 PP100. In the past, Tesla has performed
better, but that is not the case this year and the removal of
traditional feature controls, such as turn signals and wiper
stalks, has not been well received by Tesla customers.
Following are key findings of the 2024 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% of
Apple users and 42% 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% 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, now in its 38th year, 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 methodology
for this year’s IQS was enhanced to unite newly acquired,
state-of-the-art vehicle repair data with traditional J.D. Power
VOC data while fielding continuously year-round. This enhanced IQS
data allows automakers the ability to quickly identify potential
issues before they become bigger problems in the quality
landscape.
The study is based on a battery of 227 VOC 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.
Highest-Ranking Brands and Models
Ram is the highest-ranking brand overall in initial
quality with a score of 149 PP100. Among mass market brands,
Chevrolet (160 PP100) ranks second and Hyundai (162
PP100) ranks third.
Among premium brands, Porsche ranks highest with a score
of 172 PP100. Lexus (174 PP100) ranks second and
Genesis (184 PP100) ranks third.
The parent corporation receiving the most model-level awards is
General Motors Company (six awards), followed by Hyundai
Motor Group and Toyota Motor Corporation, each with four
awards. Among brands, Chevrolet receives the most segment
awards (four), followed by Lexus (three).
- General Motors Company models that rank highest in their
respective segment are Cadillac XT5, Cadillac XT6,
Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Silverado
HD, Chevrolet Tahoe and Chevrolet Traverse.
- Hyundai Motor Group models that rank highest in their
respective segment are Genesis G80, Hyundai Santa
Cruz, Kia Carnival and Kia Forte.
- Toyota Motor Corporation models that rank highest in their
respective segment are Lexus IS, Lexus LC, Lexus
UX and Toyota Camry.
- Toyota Motor Corporation has the highest-ranking model overall,
the Lexus LC, with 106 PP100.
Plant Quality Awards
Toyota Motor Corporation’s Takaoka 2, Japan, plant, which
manufactures the Toyota RAV4 and Toyota Venza, receives the
Platinum Plant Quality Award. Plant quality awards are based solely
on defects and malfunctions and exclude design-related problems and
repair incidents.
Gold Plant Quality Awards for North/South America, in a tie, go
to Honda Motor Company’s Alliston 2 plant in Ontario, Canada, which
produces the Honda CR-V, and Toyota Motor Corporation’s Cambridge
South plant in Ontario, Canada, which produces the Lexus RX. BMW
AG’s plant in Born, Netherlands, which produces the MINI Cooper and
MINI Countryman, receives the Gold Plant Quality Award for Europe
and Africa.
See the rank chart and lists of highest-ranking brands, models
and plants at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2024061.
For more information about the U.S. Initial Quality Study, visit
https://www.jdpower.com/business/us-initial-quality-study-iqs.
About J.D. Power
J.D. Power is a global leader in automotive data and
analytics, and provides industry intelligence, consumer insights
and advisory solutions to the automotive industry and selected
non-automotive industries. J.D. Power leverages its extensive
proprietary datasets and software capabilities combined with
advanced analytics and artificial intelligence tools to help its
clients optimize business performance.
J.D. Power was founded in 1968 and has offices in North America,
Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company's business
offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto-shopping
tool can be found at JDPower.com.
About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules:
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Media Relations Contacts Geno Effler, J.D. Power; West
Coast; 714-621-6224; media.relations@jdpa.com Shane Smith; East
Coast; 424-903-3665; ssmith@pacificcommunicationsgroup.com