J.D. Power Says New Tech Making Cars Less Reliable

[Yardbird]

J.D. Power Says New Tech Making Cars Less Reliable​

Story by Peter Corn
4 min read


The 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study by J.D. Power reveals a rise in vehicle problems after three years of ownership, marking the highest level since 2009. J.D. Power surveyed car owners and recorded problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), which have increased by 6 percent compared to 2024. This represents a 12 PP100 decline from the previous year, resulting in an industry average of 202 PP100. This increase is largely attributed to mass-market brands, which experienced a 16 PP100 rise, partly due to software defects. It's impossible to separate this drop in reliability from the abundance of added tech hitting new cars like hail, coming down in massive sheets before a bad storm.

This issue increase follows a few factors starting in the 2022 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, which showed a significant drop in vehicle quality in 2022 model-year vehicles. As we all remember, issues continued to impact three-year-old cars built during the Great Semiconductor Chip Shortage. While chips were a significant issue, the entire industry saw supply change issues, leading to slow production times when manufacturers were still rushing. At the end of it all, we saw more expensive, less reliable vehicles. But wait, there’s more.

Now in its 36th year, the study covers 184 specific problem areas across nine vehicle categories: climate, driving assistance, driving experience, exterior, features/controls/displays, infotainment, interior, powertrain, and seats. Notably, software defects have become a more significant issue, with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity being the top industry problem for the second year in a row. You can chalk this up to a “mo’ money, mo’ problems” issue.

The reliability scores increased from 6.3 PP100 in 2024 to 8.4 PP100 in 2025. Other common software-related issues include built-in Bluetooth systems (4.6 PP100) and Wi-Fi (2.4 PP100). While software issues only account for 9 percent of total problems, they are becoming more prevalent as vehicles become more reliant on software.

Our Cars Are Turning Into Phones With Phone Problems​

If you pay attention, a throughline here leads all these issues to our phones. Another challenge the study highlights is personal device integration, with half of the top 10 issues related to smartphone connectivity and usage industry-wide. Keeping up with rapid advancements in smartphone technology poses difficulties for automakers. At the risk of stating the obvious, carmakers make cars, not phones. While over-the-air (OTA) updates offer a potential solution, only 30% of vehicle owners report improvements after an OTA update, while 56 percent saw no noticeable changes.

• Rising Software Defects: Software defects, including issues with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, have become more common, with these problems making up 9 percent of total vehicle issues. As cars rely more on software, these issues are likely to grow.
• Challenges with Personal Device Integration: Half of the industry's top 10 problems stem from difficulties in integrating smartphones into vehicle systems, highlighting the struggle to keep up with rapidly evolving phone technology.
• Inadequate Over-the-Air Updates: Despite the opportunity for over-the-air updates, only 36 percent of car owners report using them, and even fewer (30 percent) experience noticeable improvements, indicating that updates are often ineffective at addressing connectivity issues.
• Lagging Behind Smartphone Advancements: The fast-paced evolution of smartphone technology creates a significant gap, leaving automakers unable to keep up and causing frequent compatibility and performance problems with integrated phone systems in vehicles.

EVs Are Getting More Reliable​

Given the theme of tech issues, you might think the more tech-heavy BEVs are among the biggest offenders; Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) have shown improvement, with a 33 PP100 reduction year over year. However, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) saw a decline of 26 PP100, making them the most problematic vehicle fuel type. In comparison, hybrid vehicles (199 PP100) and gas-powered vehicles (200 PP100) have fewer problems, while diesel vehicles (233 PP100) and PHEVs (242 PP100) are more problematic. The gap between BEVs and gas-powered vehicles has narrowed significantly.

New Car Models From 2022 Are Less Reliable​

J.D. Power found that new model launches from the 2022 model year have struggled with dependability. Only four out of 27 new models outperformed their segment average, with an average score of 241 PP100 compared to 196 PP100 for carryover models.

The study also highlights the highest-ranked brands in vehicle dependability. Lexus ranks first overall for the third consecutive year with a score of 140 PP100, followed by Cadillac (169 PP100) and Porsche (186 PP100) in the premium segment. In the mass market segment, Buick ranks highest with 143 PP100, followed by Mazda (161 PP100) and Toyota (162 PP100).

Toyota Motor Corporation’s top-performing model, despite its discontinuation, was the Toyota Avalon, and it received the most model-level awards, including for the Lexus GX, Toyota Camry, Corolla, RAV4, Sienna, and Tacoma. General Motors Company also garnered six model-level awards for models like the Cadillac XT6, Chevrolet Corvette, and GMC Acadia. Nissan received two model-level awards for the Nissan Kicks and Nissan Murano.

The study is based on responses from 34,175 original owners of 2022 model-year vehicles, with data collected between August and November 2024.

Source: J.D. Power

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/j-d-power-says-new-tech-making-cars-less-reliable/ar-AA1zN3O8

 

[HEMIMANN]

NO.

WAY!

So glad they told us. What's next - the sun is still hot? jfc

 

[Wild one]

NO.

WAY!

So glad they told us. What's next - the sun is still hot? jfc

LMAO that's the best one i've heard today Brian,i damn near fell off my chair laughing

 

[huntergreen]

Now tell us something we don’t know. Of course went through this in late seventies to the nineties.

 

[BossHogg]

The sad truth is that it doesn't have to be this way. Guess what made it this way? Profit!

As an insider in automotive electronics, I watched as the development process was shortened, removing necessary testing and regression testing from programs as development efforts were globalized. The second most significant issue is the often inaccurate and incomplete data in workshop or service bay manuals. This leaves a repair to be made without finding the root cause. Of course, this leads to how auto techs are compensated for their efforts and the automaker refusing to warranty cover diagnostic efforts.

The level of incompetence in automotive is shocking. When I started my career way back, it wasn't like that. As the years scrolled by, costs and profits became dictatorial, thus forcing out senior staff and, with them, lessons learned. The newer incoming staff are not experienced, and there aren't enough senior staff to Elmer them. Automakers are hung up on college degrees, so much so that they overlook people who have the ability but not the degree(s). I worked with many darn good non-degreed engineers and had a few of them on my programs.

I'm starting to rant. I'm now retired, and I only need to be concerned with a fishing pole and sunny skies. Focusing on the OP's post, I can only say that my 2022 Longhorn ECODiesel is a wonderful truck, but it exhibits a lot of glitches in its electronics. A chime goes off randomly, a quick flash of a message on the DIC, Uconnect 5, let's not go there. The number of recalls my vehicle has gone through is unreal. The money saved in engineering costs is spent 2 fold on recalls. One day, they will figure that out.

 

[Gemeni06]

It's easy to glue your nose to a cell phone when outside the vehicle. All it requires is an adhesive with the correct chemical composition. Much harder inside the vehicle. The adhesive is software controlled and is required to bridge an air gap.

 

[Harry Paratestes]

And this is exactly why i drive pre mds 3rd gen rams with the hemi and a 98 wrangler with the inline 6.
The major issue here is women represent the biggest share of consumers in the u.s. and they always want more and better. They always want more technology and a bigger suv that is completely unnecessary, just for the image
The auto industry is on a downward spiral unless they start making cheaper stripped down models

 

[great blue]

And this is exactly why i drive pre mds 3rd gen rams with the hemi and a 98 wrangler with the inline 6.
The major issue here is women represent the biggest share of consumers in the u.s. and they always want more and better. They always want more technology and a bigger suv that is completely unnecessary, just for the image
The auto industry is on a downward spiral unless they start making cheaper stripped down models

Remember when Detroit built giant ****boxes and Japan entered the market with some poorly engineering trial vehicles. These trials turned into great vehicles at prices everyone could afford. This sent Detroit into a spin. They temporarily offered smaller vehicles than went back to bigger is better and macho where they mostly sit today. If Chinese EV's are ever let in the market, Detroit will have a serious homer moment and once again find itself unable to compete. Duh-oh!