Automobile brands with the most problems will surprise you
J.D. Power reveals which automobile brands have the most overall quality problems per 100 vehicles and which ones have the least.
The electric vehicle industry has had plenty of bad news through the first half of this year. The worst news may have been Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based electric vehicle maker Fisker Inc. filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 18 to seek a sale of its assets, blaming various market and macroeconomic headwinds for its financial distress.
Elon Musk's leading EV company Tesla (TSLA) also had some bad news this month as the company issued a recall of 11,688 Cybertrucks manufactured from Nov. 13, 2023, to June 6, 2024 due to problems with the vehicle's windshield wiper motors.
Related: Tesla's embattled Cybertruck recalled over basic safety feature
Tesla did not know if the problem caused any crashes or injuries, but the company will mail letters notifying owners of the recall on Aug. 18. Tesla Service will replace the wiper motor free of charge.
The Austin, Texas-based EV maker wasn't finished with its Cybertruck recalls as it also recalled 11,383 of its new vehicle because a trim in the trunk bed might have been improperly attached. The recall notice asserted that a loose appliqué can detach from the vehicle, creating a road hazard for following motorists and increasing the risk of a crash.
Tesla, again, said it was unaware of any collisions, injuries or deaths related to the defective trim, and it would repair the defect free of charge.
Those two recalls weren't the only ones for Tesla this year as it in April recalled almost 4,000 Cybertrucks to repair a faulty accelerator pedal pad that might dislodge and become trapped by the interior trim.
Related: Massive car recalls impact over 700,000 vehicles
Electric vehicles are not the only autos facing recalls as a makers of internal combustion engine vehicles are also sending recall notices to car owners. Kia this week recalled 463,000 of its Telluride SUVs made between 2020 and 2024, and Stellantis (STLA) recalled about 212,000 of its 2022 Dodge Durangos and 2022 Ram pickups.
Evidence of hundreds of thousands of automobile recalls sends a message that a lot of vehicles, new and old, have mechanical problems that require repairs.
More automotive:
- Two popular pickup trucks hit with safety recalls
- Tesla recalls all Cybertrucks due to dangerous defect exposed on social media
- Mercedes-Benz recalls popular SUVs again for potential fire hazard
Obviously, consumers want to know which brands are the most reliable with the least amount of problems and which ones have the most amount of problems.
Research firm J.D. Power on June 27 revealed its 2024 U.S. Initial Quality Study ranking the automobile industry's Top 34 brands based on problems per 100 vehicles, which set the industry average at 195 problems per 100 vehicles. Mass market brands had a combined average of 181 problems per 100 vehicles, while premium brands averaged 232 problems per 100 vehicles, according to the J.D. Power survey.
Stellantis' Ram has least amount of mechanical problems
The top brand on the list with the least amount of problems was Stellantis' Ram which registered 145 problems per 100 vehicles. The next five brands on the list were General Motors' (GM) Chevrolet (160 problems,) Hyundai (162 problems,) Kia (163 problems,) Buick (164 problems) and Nissan (NSANY) (166 problems.)
Porsche was the highest rated premium brand at No. 7 on the list with 172 problems per 100 vehicles, and rival Lexus was No. 8 with 174 problems. Ford (F) and Honda (HMC) rounded out the Top 10 brands with the least problems with 179 and 181 respectively.
The next 14 brands on the list were Mini (182,) Subaru (183,) Genesis (184,) Infiniti (187,) Jaguar (188,) Mitsubishi (191,) Toyota (TM) (192,) Acura (193,) Jeep (200), GMC (201), BMW (206,) Mercedes-Benz (206,) Cadillac (214,) and Land Rover (214.)
Polestar has the most amount of problems
The bottom 10 auto brands with the most problems per 100 were led by electric vehicle maker Polestar with 316 problems. Dodge was second worst at 301 problems, and EV makers Tesla and Rivian (RIVN) tied for the third most problems per 100 with 266. The remaining six brands at the bottom of the list included Volvo (242,) Audi (242,) Volkswagen (241,) Mazda (232), Alpha Romeo (226) and Lincoln (224.)
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