American analytical firm J. D. Power published a fresh reliability rating of three-year-old cars, the 2022 US Vehicle Dependability Study by brand, on February 10. The study covers only those cars that are officially sold on the US market.
The methodology involved a survey of almost 30 thousand owners of 2019 model year vehicles. The key indicator is the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). The lower it is, the higher the car's reliability. Note that the rating does not take into account objective data on breakdowns; it is based only on a survey of owners, that is, on subjective opinion.
The authors of the study noted that for mass brands the problem index averaged 190, while for premium brands it is higher — 204. This is due to the presence in expensive cars of a larger amount of electronics and auxiliary systems that can fail.
The most common problems are still related to media systems, accounting for an average of 51.9 PP100 (that is, about a quarter of complaints). Usually the culprits are voice recognition systems, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, Bluetooth errors, and so on.
The leader in the 2022 rating was Kia, displacing Lexus from the top (it dropped five spots). Second place goes to Buick, bronze to Hyundai. The top 10 also includes Genesis, Toyota, Lexus, Porsche, Dodge, Cadillac, and Chevrolet.
The three most unreliable are Land Rover, Ram, and Volvo.
Also, based on the survey results, the most reliable models in different market segments were determined:
- in the absolute standings — Porsche 911;
- compact class — Toyota Corolla;
- compact premium class — BMW 4-Series;
- compact sports car — Mazda MX-5 Miata;
- midsize car — Hyundai Sonata;
- midsize premium car — Lincoln MKZ;
- midsize sports car — Ford Mustang;
- full-size car — Chevrolet Impala;
- subcompact crossover — Buick Encore;
- subcompact premium crossover — Lexus UX;
- compact crossover — Buick Envision;
- compact premium crossover — Lexus NX;
- midsize crossover — Hyundai Santa Fe and Kia Sorento;
- midsize premium crossover — Lexus RX and Porsche Cayenne;
- full-size SUV — Chevrolet Suburban.
Source: Drom
