Lexus Once Again #1 in JD Power’s Reliability Rankings

The Lexus brand of premium cars produced by the Japanese Toyota Motor Corporation staked its place at the top of the annual JD Power Car Reliability Study for the second time in a row. And the Toyota became the best mass market brand in terms of reliability, pushing out Kia, which had held the title for three years in a row.

The average number of vehicle issues in the latest JD Power survey rose to 190, up from 186 in 2023. Automakers face many challenges: the increasing age of the passenger car and truck fleet in the United States; persistent problems with infotainment systems and advanced technology, namely problems with driver assistance systems, malfunction of features like lane departure warnings and lane keeping assistance, etc.

“In the US, the average car age in 12 years. And here is the question: will new technologies that are already causing problems today, still meet the customer needs in 12 years or even 3 years after the car’s release?” asks Frank Hanley, Senior Director of automotive testing at JD Power.

Hanley notes that many of the vehicles tested for reliability were assembled in 2020 and 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic altered global production schedules, parts supply lines and logistics.

Shortages of spare parts, especially computer chips, have prompted many automakers to disable or limit certain features, affecting vehicle performance. 

The most reliable brand

The JD Power Vehicle Reliability Study tracks vehicle issues under the following conditions: 1. 100 vehicle owners participate in the survey. 2. Issues encountered in their cars over a 12-month period are investigated. 3. The car has to be under 3 years of age.

The final table was topped by Lexus - first place among premium brands. Toyota took first place among mass market brands.

* Tesla remains unranked because the brand does not allow JD Power to access owner information in states where permission is required by law.

The most reliable cars

What were car owners polled on?

The JD Power questionnaire has 9 items: climate control, driving assistance, driving experience, vehicle appearance, features/controls/displays, infotainment system, interior, transmission and seats.

Infotainment technology reported the most issues. The main ones are difficulties connecting Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and voice recognition software.

The study found that electric vehicles pose more problems than plug-in hybrids and gasoline vehicles. Tires are a particularly sore spot, with 39% of car owners reporting they replaced them within three years of ownership (compared to 20% for ICE car owners).

The survey also revealed an increase in issues related to driver assistance systems.

Issues Everywhere

The number of problems reported to JD Power by vehicle owners has increased for nearly two-thirds of the brands surveyed. Most improved were Porsche, Mercedes and Toyota.

Although Lexus remained No. 1, it also had an average two more issues compared to last year: 135 per 100 cars.

Kia, which won the 2022 JD Power award, dropped five positions to 8th place with an average of 187 problems per 100 vehicles. Genesis, which finished second in last year's survey, dropped to 16th with an average of 200 problems per 100 vehicles.

Remember that in 2022, all three Hyundai Motor Group brands — Hyundai, Kia and Genesis — were among the top five. This year only Kia is in the Top 10; Hyundai took 13th place. Frank Hanley attributes this to 2021 being an important year of new model launches for all three brands.

Across the industry, we see [new vehicle launches] adding to the challenges, Hanley says.

Finally, General Motors took 3rd and 4th place with Buick and Chevrolet.

Sources: Аutonews.com, JD Power’s American Vehicle Reliability Study, 2024.