2023 J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey: New Vehicle Problems Set New Record, Breaking the Previous One from Last Year

J.D. Power’s annual Initial Quality Survey measures the number of consumer-reported problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) in the first 90 days of ownership in a variety of categories, and the 2023 results are not good news for manufacturers. The 2022 survey saw an unprecedented 11% rise in problems over the previous year; for 2023, problems have risen again by nearly 7%.

Related: 2022 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study: New-Vehicle Problems Hit All-Time High

This year, 20 automakers were at or above 2023’s average of 192 PP100, compared to 15 automakers at or above 2022’s 180 PP100 average. But the decline in quality for the second year in a row — and the types of problems reported — are concerning.

“The automotive industry is facing a wide range of quality problems, a phenomenon not seen in the 37-year history of the IQS,” Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power, said in a statement. “The industry is at a major crossroad and the path each manufacturer chooses is paramount for its future. From persistent problems carrying over from years past to an increase in new types of problems, today’s new vehicles are more complex — offering new and exciting technology — but not always satisfying owners.”

For 2023, J.D. Power asked 93,380 buyers and lessees of new vehicles 223 questions covering nine categories: infotainment; features, controls and displays; exterior; driving assistance; interior; powertrain; seats; driving experience; and climate. As in golf, lower PP100 scores are better.

Brand Rankings

As with last year’s results, it’s worth noting that the higher scores are more likely because of complex or otherwise annoying technologies than actual build quality issues. Here are this year’s rankings, followed by each automaker’s PP100 score.

Dodge: 140
Ram: 141
Alfa Romeo: 143
Buick: 162
Chevrolet: 166
GMC: 167
Porsche: 167
Cadillac: 170
Kia: 170
Lexus: 171
Genesis: 176
Mini: 179
Nissan: 180
Maserati: 182
Jaguar: 185
Subaru: 185
Hyundai: 188
Honda: 190
Jeep: 191
BMW: 192
Mitsubishi: 193
Toyota: 194
Ford: 201
Mercedes-Benz: 201
Land Rover: 203
Mazda: 203
Acura: 207
Lincoln: 208
Infiniti: 212
Audi: 221
Volkswagen: 249
Chrysler: 250
Volvo: 250
Tesla: 257 (not officially ranked)
Rivian Motors: 282 (not officially ranked)
Polestar: 313 (not officially ranked)
Lucid Motors: 340 (not officially ranked)

Stellantis Takes the Top 3, Alfa Rapidly Rises

The top three automakers on this year’s list are all part of the Stellantis family, with Dodge first at 140 PP100, Ram second with 141 PP100 and — in a very surprising result — Alfa Romeo third at 143 PP100. Alfa is also the highest-ranked premium brand. In 2022, Alfa Romeo was significantly below average.

Alfa Romeo and Ram were two of the most-improved brands for this year, and each have a segment-leading vehicle, with the Stelvio the highest-ranking Compact Premium SUV and the Ram 1500 the highest-ranking Large Light-Duty Pickup. Maserati — this year’s most-improved automaker — and Jeep are also above average for 2023, and the Jeep Gladiator tied the Ford Ranger for the highest ranking in the Mid-size Pickup segment. Dodge, despite being the top-ranked brand, does not have a single model that ranks among the top models in the various segments.

Stellantis also has the most individual brands above average this year, with five, followed closely by all four GM brands. Buick, last year’s highest-rated brand, is fourth this year; Chevrolet is fifth; GMC is sixth; and Cadillac is eighth. GM, however, did not have any brands ranked below the industry average, while Stellantis’ Chrysler finished at the bottom of the official ranking.

After Alfa

Alfa Romeo took the top spot among luxury brands, but others are also above this year’s average. Porsche and Cadillac were the next highest rated, followed by Lexus. Genesis, last year’s top luxury brand, remains above average but fell to 11th overall this year. Maserati, Jaguar and BMW were also among the “top” 20.

Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover, Acura, Lincoln, Infiniti, Audi and Volvo all rated below average, with Volvo tying Chrysler for the lowest official score.

What’s Your Problem?

Some of the complaints this year are shockingly basic. Owners are increasingly complaining about door handles, which seems like something that everyone should’ve figured out by now. Unfortunately, futuristic approaches to this simple feature often elicit complaints, and battery-electric vehicles make up seven of the 10 most-problematic vehicles; most likely, those models have door handles that retract into the vehicle’s body for aerodynamic or styling purposes. Other basic issues include “poor sounding horns” and “cupholders that don’t serve their purpose.”

The abundance of technologies in vehicles continues to cause issues for buyers, as well; safety technologies like lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist and forward collision warning are among the most problematic, and overall safety problems are up 1.8 PP100 year-over-year. Infotainment is also an issue, and J.D. Power calls out the Android Automotive Operating System — not to be confused with Android Auto smartphone mirroring — as a chief offender. Vehicles with AAOS without Google Automotive Services average 51.1 PP100 compared to 29.6 PP100 for vehicles with other operating systems. Wireless device charging is also one of the most frequent issues, with consumers complaining about the location of the charging pad, poor charging and device overheating.

Smartphone apps, however, are a bright spot, improving by 0.4 PP100 over last year. The survey also reports that EV owners use their vehicle app 68% of the time to monitor things like their vehicle’s range and charging status.

What About Tesla?

Once again, Tesla remains officially unranked, as it does not grant J.D. Power access to customer data in every state. Other emerging EV automakers like Polestar, Rivian Motors and Lucid Motors are also unranked for similar reasons. But the results — based on samples from owners in some states — for all of those automakers are not very good.

Tesla is the most established of the bunch and saw its score increase by 31 PP100, a significant jump, landing well below average at 257 PP100. Rivian scored 282 PP100 in its first year on the list, and Polestar improved 15 PP100 and received a score of 313 PP100. Lucid, also in its first year, brings up the rear of the unranked group at a whopping 340 PP100.

Top Models

The survey also ranks individual models in a variety of segments. The 2023 Nissan Maxima was rated as the model with the highest initial quality overall; below are the top models by each segment as defined by J.D. Power. Not enough large cars or heavy-duty pickups qualified this year for awards to be issued.

Cars

Small Car: Kia Rio
Small Premium Car: Audi A3
Compact Car: Kia Forte
Compact Premium Car: Lexus IS
Compact Sporty Car: Mini Cooper
Large Premium Car: BMW 8 Series
Mid-Size Car: Toyota Camry
Mid-Size Premium Car: Kia Stinger
Mid-Size Sporty Car: Chevrolet Camaro
Premium Sporty Car: Chevrolet Corvette
Upper Mid-Size Premium Car: Genesis G80

SUVs

Small SUV: Buick Encore GX
Small Premium SUV: Audi Q3
Compact SUV: Chevrolet Equinox
Compact Premium SUV: Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Mid-Size SUV: Nissan Murano
Mid-Size Premium SUV: Lexus GX
Upper Mid-Size SUV: Toyota 4Runner
Upper Mid-Size Premium SUV: Cadillac XT6
Large SUV: Chevrolet Tahoe
Large Premium SUV: Cadillac Escalade

Trucks and Vans

Minivan: Kia Carnival
Mid-Size Pickup: Ford Ranger, Jeep Gladiator (tie)
Large Light-Duty Pickup: Ram 1500

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