Do you find yourself driving down the road shouting at your Siri, stabbing at your touchscreen, or constantly drifting into the other lane? You're not alone. There were more problems with new cars this year than ever. Thanks to the disruptions caused by the pandemic—problems like supply chain issues and record-high vehicle prices, initial vehicle quality has declined, according to J.D. Power’s most recent U.S. Initial Quality Study. The study found that vehicle problems reached a record high in the 36 years that the research and data company has been conducting it. Compared with 2021 results, the industry experienced an 11% increase in the number of problems per 100 vehicles. The study is based on responses from 84,165 purchasers and lessees of new 2022 model-year vehicles who were surveyed early in the ownership period. The survey consists of 223 questions asking about infotainment, vehicle features, controls and displays, vehicle exterior and interior, driving assistance, powertrain, seats, driving experience and climate. The category with the largest number of problems was infotainment, with six of the top 10 issues being related to infotainment systems such as Apple (AAPL) - Get Free Report CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, touchscreens, voice recognition systems, inconsistent audio volume, and not enough plugs or USB ports, J.D. Power said. Problems with driver-assistance systems also increased over last year, with lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist proving to be the most problematic. Owners of fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars also had more issues than those of gas-powered cars. EVs averaged 240 problems per 100 vehicles and plug-in hybrids averaged 239 problems per 100 vehicles, while gas cars averaged 175. The study is designed to help manufacturers with product improvement and was fielded from February through May 2022. Mass market vehicles had fewer problems than luxury vehicles, however, luxury vehicles do tend to have more technology. Genesis is the luxury brand that scored the best, with an average of 156 problems per 100 vehicles. This is the first time Tesla Motors (TSLA) - Get Free Report was included in the study. Tesla received an unofficial score of 226 problems per 100 vehicles, based on limited data available. With that it would rank No. 28 alongside Mitsubishi among the six worst, but because Tesla does not allow J.D. Power access to owner information in states where permission is required by law, the data was incomplete, so it was not included in the ranking. Polestar (PSNY) - Get Free Report, the Swedish EV company that recently went public via SPAC, was given an asterisked 328 problems per 100, but the brand was also excluded from the ranking for not meeting the study criteria. Buick, owned by General Motors (GM) - Get Free Report, is the highest-ranking brand with the fewest problems; Buick scored 139 problems per 100 vehicles. The Chevrolet Corvette was the model with the fewest problems at just 101. Chevrolet is also owned by GM. Here are the results from J.D. Power, with the brands that had the fewest problems ranking first. 1. Buick Problems per 100 vehicles: 139
2. Dodge Problems per 100 vehicles: 143 Chevrolet 3. Chevrolet Problems per 100 vehicles: 147 4. Genesis Problems per 100 vehicles: 156 Genesis ranks highest among the premium brands. 5. Kia Problems per 100 vehicles: 156 Lexus 6. Lexus Problems per 100 vehicles: 157 GMC 7. GMC Problems per 100 vehicles: 162 8. Cadillac Problems per 100 vehicles: 163
9. BMW Problems per 100 vehicles: 165
10. Ford Problems per 100 vehicles: 167 Lincoln 11. Lincoln Problems per 100 vehicles: 167 Nissan 12. Nissan Problems per 100 vehicles: 167 Mini USA 13. MINI Problems per 100 vehicles: 168 Toyota 14. Toyota Problems per 100 vehicles: 172 15. Mazda Problems per 100 vehicles: 180 (industry average)
16. Honda Problems per 100 vehicles: 183 17. Hyundai Problems per 100 vehicles: 185 Ram 18. Ram Problems per 100 vehicles: 186 19. Mercedes-Benz Problems per 100 vehicles: 189 Subaru 20. Subaru Problems per 100 vehicles: 191 21. Acura Problems per 100 vehicles: 192 22. Land Rover Problems per 100 vehicles: 193 23. Jeep Problems per 100 vehicles: 199 Porsche 24. Porsche Problems per 100 vehicles: 200
25. Infiniti Problems per 100 vehicles: 204 Jaguar USA 26. Jaguar Problems per 100 vehicles: 210 Alfa Romeo 27. Alfa Romeo Problems per 100 vehicles: 211 Mitsubishi 28. Mitsubishi Problems per 100 vehicles: 226
Volkswagen 29. Volkswagen Problems per 100 vehicles: 230 30. Audi Problems per 100 vehicles: 239 Maserati 31. Maserati Problems per 100 vehicles: 255 32. Volvo Problems per 100 vehicles: 256 33. Chrysler Problems per 100 vehicles: 265 >> Read next: 25 Cars, Trucks and SUVs That Cost the Least Over Five Years >> and: How Long $1 Million in Retirement Savings Will Last in 50 U.S. Cities |