[Jeepers]

JD Power does a study on Initial Quality each year, and this year Jeep was second from the bottom of the list. The study measures the average problem per 100 vehicles.

Overall, the average amount of issues experienced in the first 90 days of ownership has increased by three percent this year over 2013. It does seem like many of these problems have to do with things like Bluetooth and audio systems though.

There has been criticism of the study's methodology though.

But the survey only measures consumers' impressions of new vehicles in the first 90 days of ownership. It doesn't reflect longer-term quality and reliability — J.D. Power conducts separate studies that analyze those. It was based on responses from 86,000 new car buyers who responded to an online survey in May.

And here is the full ranking.

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2014/06/fiat-flayed-2014-jd-power-initial-quality-study.html

 

[tony]

wow that's pretty bad, chrysler is right at the bottom along with brands i never expected to be their at all.
hopefully they built the renegade better and is something that can help push them up on a rating system like this

 

[SubVet]

My father-in-law could immediately rattle off 5 problems with his new Hyundai Santa Fe if they called him for the "poll". I can personally guarantee that 5 of the 5 problems are caused by operator error.

I never put much weight in these initial quality surveys. They are just like the reviews on Edmunds that say "I just got my new car an hour ago and I have to say I have had no problems with it and it's the best vehicle I've ever owned". I read those and secretly wish the oil plug would fall out of their car on the freeway.

 

[raz-0]

I've done the JD powers survey once. It's a pretty poor survey IMO, and a car coming off as good or bad on it would be purely a function of one's perspective on reality.

Buyer's remorse? Car's going to look like crap.
Bad dealer experience? Car's going to look like crap.
Dealer was ok, but parts supply kind of sucks? Car's going to look like crap.
Owner thinks a $15k car should be just as good as a $65k luxury car? Car's going to look like crap.

I can't even imagine how stupid users + crap software and UI would affect it, but I can guess it would be pretty bad. My friend has a company car. It is always an acura TL. They are nice, and they have all held up well. The newest one is pretty frikin spiffy. The navigation/command center computer thing, as a passenger, made me want to punch it.

Keep in mind they are arguing over what are really good numbers. for the entire list. For cars priced in a range lots of people can afford, you are talking about the odds being in your favor of your car having one or no problems in the first 90 days.

Jeep got an average number of problems 1.46 with the cherokee out there. From my experience with the survey, taking it back to make sure the tranny wasn't broken because 9 speeds is weird, then taking it back again for a reflash because you were on the list of those who complained and they were trying to make right by you, would likely count as two problems for engine transmission on the survey form most respondents.

Also of note, even JD themselves are warning about the numbers because of the winter we had.

"The harsh winter of 2014 may have contributed to the increase in reported problems. Consumers in the Northeast and Midwest--the regions hardest hit with winter weather--experienced 117 PP100 in 2014, compared with 112 PP100 in 2013. Much of that increase comes from problems with areas most affected by rough weather: heating/ventilation/air conditioning, vehicle exterior, and engine/transmission. Consumers in the South and West regions experienced the same level of problems as in 2013: 114 PP100."

LAst year jeep was 113 rather than 146. Suabru was 128 rather than 138. They are both more popular in the region stated.

Acura prior to the redo of the survey methods in 2013 used to be sub-100. I can tell you from experience, the build quality is basically the same, and that's good. But like I said their nav system makes you want to scream.

It's a better indicator of your likely hood of having buyer's remorse than of having actual problems IMO.

 

[Rivmage]

Another problem with this type of survey is that the severity of the issues aren't disclosed plus it is the end user perceived issues vs actual service records.

I would rather see this type of survey broken out by categories i.e. Engine, Brakes, Radio...etc. I think that would give this type of survey more value.

Scott

 

[Jeepers]

I do think that all of the points that you guys have made are something to consider with this survey. I do still think that the survey says something about the quality of vehicles made by each brand. Regardless of subjectivity, and harsh weather, the brands that have far less problems reported I would think are better quality, and the brands at the bottom probably lesser. Everything should be taken with a grain of salt though.

 

[tony]

Another problem with this type of survey is that the severity of the issues aren't disclosed plus it is the end user perceived issues vs actual service records.

I would rather see this type of survey broken out by categories i.e. Engine, Brakes, Radio...etc. I think that would give this type of survey more value.

Scott

good point, i know for a fact in most recent history that nissan has had some horrible recalls and issues, some issues so bad that cars had to be bought back or spent days, weeks and likely more in the shop

 

[Jeepers]

The study as it is can be a bit misleading. They should reveal what kind of problems each brand experiences, and they should also find a way to measure it that doesn't involve self-reporting of issues. But then again I bet some people don't actually bring in their cars to get them fixed, but they would report a problem anyway when surveyed.

 

[JMG]

Buyers' expectations versus reality.

 

[Jeepers]

Buyers' expectations versus reality.

It's quite possible that that is a pretty big factor in this survey. That would be a pretty interesting survey actually.

"What were your expectations of your newly purchased vehicle, and how did the vehicle live up to it?"

 

[tony]

Buyers' expectations versus reality.

that is something good to point out since a lot of times people do have unreal expectations, due to a lack of understanding of where the product really fits into all of this.

 

[RenegadeWest]

“The report says that voice recognition, Bluetooth pairing and audio systems are all major causes of complaints.” http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2014/06/fiat-flayed-2014-jd-power-initial-quality-study.html

I would think most “Tech-savvy” buyers know there are (or can be) compatibility issues with Bluetooth connectivity (pairing) between devices. FCC regulations (sorry, not sure if it’s under “Part 15” or another) state that electronic devices cannot emit interfering signals but must be able to accept interfering signals. (or something like that) That’s why there can be and are issues with Bluetooth connectivity. Your cell phone connecting to your audio system uses Bluetooth. There’s 2 birds with one stone! Or are they talking about a different issue with the audio system?

Voice recognition! There’s another one and it’s usually related to the audio system. Back ground sound, such as air conditioner fan set on hi, windows and / or sun roof open, road noise, people in the vehicle talking to you or to some one else while you are trying to use the Voice recognition feature. They all can contribute to your voice not being recognized, words interpreted wrong by the system.

JD Power‘s Initial Quality Study certainly has it’s flaws, as mentioned in preceding posts. They just don’t include enough information. Back in December of 2011, AutoGuide.com had an article “J.D. Power Initial Quality Study Results Being Called Into Question” http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/...study-results-being-called-into-question.html It’s interesting what Car and Driver had to say about the IQS.

 

[raz-0]

yes, the C&D comments on the IQS are pretty solid.

IT smacks you hard for problems that were not resolved or were resolved in an unsatisfactory manner. If they are worded like they were when I got it, if it asks you if you think the infotainment device has problems and I did, I'd tag it. If it was a UI design issue, the odds of them being able to fix it would be ZERO. If I have a list and some things are ifxable and some are not, I'll be filling in the dots for there's a problem, it was unfixable, and it took more than one visit. All of those are big hits against.

Crappy voice racognition that the dealer flash doesn't fix then weighs in like a non-funcitoning transmission that broke a couple times, was never fixed, and took lots of visits to do that.

Cars have gotten **** good, we are now weighting annoyances and issuing a rating on them like we did gross mechanical issues in the past.

Also, even before that I have NEVER had JD's IQS ratings reflect my actual experience owning a car. EVER.

 

[Jeepers]

It seems like Jeep is asking Apple and Google to help out with this though. Maybe next year it won;t be so bad if the infotainment system is working better.