J.D. Power 2005 Vehicle Initial Quality Survey

Contributed by mm | May 20, 2005 06:22 AM PST

J.D. Power and Associates just released its 2005 Initial Quality Survey report. The survey, based on feedback from over 62,000 customers on the experience of the first 90 days of ownership, measures number of problems per 100 vehicles by each brand. The industry average for the year is 118 problems per 100 vehicle, only marginally lower than last year's reading of 119.

The top performers barely changed since I reported last year's survey results.

Lexus (81)
Jaguar (88)
BMW (95)
Buick (100)
Cadillac (104)
Mercedes-Benz (104)
Toyota (105)
Audi (106)
Infiniti (109)
HUMMER (110)

But noteably, BMW and HUMMER made huge improvements this year. The rating of the former improved from 109 to 95, and HUMMER dig itself out of the bottom-of-the-pack 2004 reading of 173 to 110. J.D.

The least reliable brands of 2005:

Suzuki (151)
Mazda (149)
Land Rover (149)
Volkswagon (147)
Porsche (147)
Volvo (140)
Kia (140)
Subaru (138)
Saturn (136)
Saab (136)

The announcement also includes top quality models of each segment. Toyota and GM dominated the entire board:

This post has 3 comments. Read and share your opinions.

Similar Posts

How Risky Is Your Local Real Estate Market? (July 19, 2005)
These days as I am tossing around the options of selling vs renting out (part 1 & part 2), I pay special attention to any news about the general health of the housing market. Particularly, I want to know the prospect of further house price ... Read

Home Ownership or 401(k)? (May 20, 2005)
Since when did people start to question the usefulness of 401(k)? Scott Burns from MSN Money thinks if you happen to live in a state with high home price appreciation, you don't have to stash too much cash to 401(k) accounts while still having enough ... Read

Homes of the Billionaires (April 20, 2005)
Ever want to see a billionaire home? Forbes did the legwork for you. Enjoy the tour of 15 billionaire homes! 1. Bill Gates (Medina, Wash.): "The estate includes 11 surrounding properties that Gates bought, which goes some way toward explaining his local taxes. The properties ... Read

Renting Can Be (Much) Cheaper Than Buying In Many Markets (March 27, 2005)
Homeownership is such an important part of the American dream. So, is renting vs buying still a question? What if renting is much cheaper? Read

Read all 36 articles in the same category.

Comments

>>> Seong Commented on May 20, 2005

You left out Hyundai in the top performer list..Tied with Hummer..Is it typical Korean car/third world car bias :).

>>> Michael Commented on May 20, 2005

I don't buy it for a minute. We get Cadillacs off the transports all the time with toasted starters, inop windows, and everything else. If the customers aren't reporting these problems in the first 90 days of ownership, it's because the delivering dealer has already repaired the obvious stuff as part of the pre-delivery inspection process.

>>> Matt Commented on May 20, 2005

Well Mike, if the dealership takes care of the problem before the customer ever gets the car, then that is just part of the quality assurance process . . . if the other car dealerships were responsible and did the same they might improve their ratings with less customer complaints for the brand they're selling. Just makes good sense. What difference does it make whether the deficiency is fixed at the factory or at the dealership, as long is it is taken care of before the car is sold and delivered to the consumer?

Add Your Comments