Every year, JD Power publishes its Initial Quality Study report which measures the initial quality of new vehicles on the market. The report is based on information obtained through surveys of new owners who testify to the design problems they have encountered during the first 90 days of purchasing their vehicle. For 2023, the study shows a serious decline in the initial quality of all new vehicles.
Significant decline since the pandemic
In reality, since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen that the quality of new vehicles has been declining year after year.
It will be understood that the shutdown of assembly lines, telecommuting and problems with the supply of parts such as semiconductors, have all had a monstrous impact on the quality of manufacturing of automobiles on a global scale. Add to that the appearance of several new technologies in vehicles, and you end up with the perfect recipe for a decline in build quality.
However, out of 100 vehicle owners surveyed for each manufacturer, the study shows an average of 192 problems during the first 3 months following delivery of the vehicle. This is 12 more than in 2022. In 2021, this number rose to 162. The owners questioned bought or leased their vehicle between the months of February and May 2023. In total, 93,380 owners would have participated in the study.
The industry is dragging down, but some are improving
However, there is some good news for some manufacturers. Although the average number of problems is higher than the trend of previous years, Dodge, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, Maserati, Jaguar, Subaru, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Audi, Chrysler and Volvo all demonstrated an improvement in the initial quality of their vehicles.
In fact, Dodge is at the top with only 140 reported problems out of 100 vehicles, which is 3 less than in 2022.
Polestar, meanwhile, is at rock bottom with 313 owner-reported issues. JD Power, however, points out that Polestar, like Tesla – which is right behind it with 257 reported problems – does not meet certain criteria of the study. If we rely solely on manufacturers who meet the criteria, Volvo would be the worst manufacturer with 250 cases reported against 256 last year.
According JD Power, problems are often very minor, usually related to on-board technology such as multimedia systems. It is enough that the screen freezes or that an update does not take place as it should, and that signals a fault. However, during its study, JD Power also observed problems with basic components, such as the proper functioning of doors, windows, headlights and even the steering wheel.
Conclusion
I remember an online event I attended with people from NissanCanada during the pandemic on the telecommuting of employees. During the presentation, the engineers explained to us how they designed and built a car remotely. I remember thinking that this approach had the potential to create a lot of problems in terms of quality.
How can a car be built well when all involved members work behind closed doors and take turns remotely? I thought to myself that it is certain that errors could slip into this way of working. Today, reality is staring us in the face.
