J.D. Power released the results of its 2021 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS) today, finding that new-vehicle quality has improved two percent overall from 2020. While a positive for the industry, the slight improvement is a decrease in the rates found in previous years, which average three percent over the last decade.
“Owners are caught in the middle when vehicle and phone technologies don’t properly connect,” said Dave Sargent, vice president of automotive quality at J.D. Power. He continued to say that “with more vehicles being fitted with the wireless technology owners want, the study reveals an increase in connectivity problems between smartphones and vehicles, leaving many owners unhappy.”
For the first time since the study’s inception, Ram is the highest-ranked brand in overall initial quality. Ram’s score of 128 PP100 lands it at the top, followed by Dodge at 139 PP100, and a tie between Lexus and Mitsubishi at 144 PP100.
Read the article at J.D. Power.