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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAnd that\u2019s slowed down the improvements in quality the auto industry has been experiencing during the last decade, according to the 2021 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study. Overall, the number of problems car buyers reported during the first 90 days of ownership fell a modest 2%, but owners and lessees noted a sharp rise in complaints about technologies like voice control, navigation and infotainment systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cConsumers want this stuff but, but many are having trouble with it,\u201d said Dave Sargent, Power\u2019s head of automotive operations. \u201cIt\u2019s not that consumers don\u2019t know how to use it. It\u2019s just not working.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decline of the luxury brands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Luxury brands like Audi, Acura and Mercedes-Benz were especially hard hit in the latest IQS. That\u2019s no surprise because high-line products tend to have more electronics onboard than mainstream vehicles, said Sargent, in an exclusive interview with TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of the 35 marques that were included in the 2021 Initial Quality Study, only two landed in the top 10. And Lexus, which long dominated the IQS, managed to rank third, behind two Detroit brands, IQS-leading Ram, and Dodge. In 2020, the latter muscle carmaker<\/a><\/strong> became the first domestic brand ever to top the closely followed Power study. That\u2019s partly due to the fact that most Dodge products have been around for a while and the brand has learned to build them reliably and repeatedly, said Sargent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mainstream brands accounted for eight of the top 10 in the latest IQS. And Detroit marques made up six of the 14 brands that scored above the industry average. According to Power, that worked out to 162 problems per 100 vehicles \u2014 or 162 PP100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPremium manufacturers long had an advantage in basic build quality,\u201d said Sargent. \u201cThat\u2019s really not the case anymore. The fundamental build quality of a Kia or Chevrolet is every bit as good as a BMW or a Mercedes. So, the mass market brands have caught up there while the luxury brands have a higher mix of (technical) features that can go wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Audi was a prime example 240 problems per 100, or nearly 50% more than the industry average. \u201cThey\u2019ve been one of the leaders in tech and a lot of it has gone wrong for them,\u201d Sargent noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only brand to fare even worse was Chrysler, with a score with a score of 251 PP100. \u201cIt isn\u2019t so much a Chrysler score, it\u2019s a Pacifica<\/a><\/strong> score,\u201d Sargent said, referencing the brand\u2019s minivan problems. Chrysler\u2019s slow-selling full-size sedan, the 300, was actually one of the highest-ranked models in the 2021 IQS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the exception of Chrysler, Subaru and Volkswagen, luxury brands dominated the bottom end of this year\u2019s study. That included Tesla which was included in the IQS for the first time in 2020. Power adds a note of caution about the EV brand since Tesla won\u2019t provide information about customers in 15 states where owner information isn\u2019t made public. But there was enough data available to include it \u2014 and the company didn\u2019t do very well, coming in third to last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the whole, \u201cAutomakers have gotten really good at building cars,\u201d said Sargent. That apparently doesn\u2019t apply to Tesla which has been plagued by reports of issues like faulty back seats on the Model 3 sedan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBuilding cars is hard,\u201d said Sargent, \u201cand the main reason they lag the rest of the industry has little to do with being an EV company. A lot of the problems they have involve build quality, paint, fit-and-finish and rattles. A lot of other manufacturers would not tolerate \u2026 the build quality of a lot of Tesla products.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tesla did fair better in some areas, notably in terms of electronics. That\u2019s critical for the upstart automaker considering how much it relies on digital technology. Its products have few conventional controls, relying on their touchscreens to operate virtually every vehicle operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting electronic gremlins under control will be critical for the industry, on the whole, stressed Sargent. Balky infotainment systems alone accounted for 25% of the problems reported by the more than 110,000 owners and lessees who participated in the 2021 IQS. Voice control systems and technology like Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were also high on the list. Wireless versions of CarPlay and Android Auto had nearly twice as many reported problems as wired versions, the IQS shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the industry suffered from problems just about everywhere electronics are used, from smart safety systems to electrically operated seats. Such snafus accounted for \u201cwell over half\u201d of the problems in the 2021 IQS, said Sargent, \u201cmaybe three-quarters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In terms of specific products, Hyundai Motor Group landed more individual segment wins than any other manufacturer, a total of seven for vehicles like the Hyundai Accent, Kia Soul and Genesis G80<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"2021](\"https:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/2021-J.D.-Power-IQS-car-rankings-1024x867.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe bottom of the barrel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"2021](\"https:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/2021-J.D.-Power-IQS-SUV-rankings-1024x947.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nTesla trouble<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"2021](\"https:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/2021-J.D.-Power-IQS-truck-rankings-1024x831.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe best models<\/h2>\n\n\n\n