JD Power is a well-known company that collects data about consumer preferences and experiences. Their automobile satisfaction surveys are frequently cited in the media and in commercials.
The Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) surveys car owners about how many problems their cars have had in the last 12 months and, I believe, this survey focuses on 3-year old cars. I decided, and all of this data belongs to JD Power, to take the last three VDS and average them. The lower the number, the lower the number of problems reported and, therefore, lower numbers are better.
Lexus 101
Porsche 102
Buick 116
Toyota 121
Chevrolet 130
BMW 136
Honda 136
Hyundai 138
Lincoln 138
Mercedes-Benz 138
Kia 141
GMC 142
Audi 143
AVERAGE 150
Acura 152
Infiniti 153
MINI 153
Volvo 156
Mazda 158
Nissan 159
Ram 160
Cadillac 161
Volkswagen 163
Subaru 166
Mitsubishi 172
Chrysler 178
Ford 180
Dodge 187
Jeep 193
Land Rover 193
Fiat 220
The three-year average is interesting and somewhat informative. However, like all data series it has flaws. For example, Cadillac and Volkswagen have similar 3-year averages. However, Cadillac was actually better than industry average in two of three years with one bad year skewing the average. Volkswagen was worse than average in all three years.
To me, Fiat/Chrysler sticks out because of the poor showing of its vehicles. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Fiat are in the bottom six and all four makes were worse than average in all three years.
What do you think of this information?
Disaffected Musings 
We got suckered into buying two Dodge minivans. They sucked. I dug my 2014 Malibu…dependable sedan with a trunk for when a friend calls at 3 am, no questions. New car, 2018 Malibu. Still with nice trunk-in case Nicky from “Goodfellas” needs a hand. Nice number of amenities- the backup radar can pick up a car TEN FEET AWAY, and remote start for cold starts prior to going to 8am service. But I miss the hand strap on the driver’s side now that I am four years older. Chevy missed the fact that phones are not the size of the IPhone 5 and thus, cannot be charged by the wireless charger. Also, the seatbelts seem less sturdy. And my girlfriend notes the fabric does not catch her hair, so there’s that.
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Not sure what GM can do to improve the perceptions regarding their car quality. But they seem to have no problem getting asses in the seats. They need a “pocket rocket”, and a car that plays above it’s weight class. I thought the Volt/Bolt would do it against the Tesla 3.
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I am going to get a little harsh…many people in this country are smug, self-righteous, arrogant self-hating Americans who think that all American companies are awful, evil and greedy and that companies in the rest of the world are not. Virtually ALL private companies, regardless of location, do things, at times, in the pursuit of profits that are not honorable. The balance between self-interest and greed can be hard to manage.
American cars, in general, and GM cars, in particular, are just as good as cars made elsewhere in the world. I have owned many GM vehicles and all of them were very reliable. As I have written many times and fervently believe, perception is reality even if it isn’t.
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