JD Power's 2022 U.S. New Car Quality Rankings Are Out, GM's Biggest Winner

According to the latest "2022 US Initial Quality Study" released by automotive consulting firm JD Power, the initial quality of new cars in the United States hit a 36-year low.The number of new-vehicle quality issues in the U.S. rose 11 percent this year from a year earlier, with an average of 180 quality issues per 100 new vehicles, due to supply chain issues, record vehicle prices and a telecommuting environment.

The JD Power study surveyed 84,165 buyers and renters of new 2022 models from February to May.The quality of new cars is measured based on the number of quality problems reported by every 100 vehicles within 90 days (ie PP100). The lower the score, the higher the quality.

Among the 33 brands surveyed, Buick, Dodge, Chevrolet, Genesis and Kia are the five brands with the best new car quality in the United States this year, while Volkswagen, Audi, Maserati, Volvo Cars, and Chrysler are the most worrying about the quality of new cars of five brands.It is worth noting that Kia, which once won six consecutive championships, is no longer in the limelight, but this year's ranking has risen by two places compared with last year, and is tied for fourth place with Genesis.

In addition, only nine brands have improved in new car quality this year: Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Acura, Land Rover and Audi.

It can be seen that GM is the biggest winner in this year's list. The quality of new cars of its four brands (Buick, Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC) has generally improved, so GM ranks highest among automakers.Buick jumped from No. 12 in 2021 to become the highest-ranked brand this year.The Chevrolet Corvette is the highest quality new car in the U.S. with 101 quality issues per 100 vehicles.In addition, GM's models received the most awards, followed by BMW.Among premium brands, Genesis has the best new car quality in the U.S. at number 4.

Mitsubishi Motors saw the biggest drop in new car quality compared to last year.The brand had 226 quality issues per 100 vehicles, an increase of 82 from last year.Last year's No. 1 Ram had 186 problems per 100 vehicles this year, an increase of 58.Jeep, Volvo Cars, Porsche and Hyundai had at least 36 more quality problems per 100 vehicles than last year.

Tesla is officially included in the auto industry calculation for the first time, with 226 quality issues per 100 vehicles.Because Tesla does not allow JD Power to obtain owner information, the agency cannot provide an official Tesla ranking.Also, Polestar doesn't get an "official ranking" but has 328 quality issues per 100 vehicles.However, since JD Power was able to collect a sufficiently large sample of car owners, it also provided a corresponding reference score.

Parts shortage may be the biggest

David Amodeo, global head of automotive at JD Power, said the problem of declining quality of new cars could be exacerbated given issues such as parts shortages."Overall, over the course of many years of research, new vehicle quality has shown a steady trend of improvement, so this year's decline is disappointing, but understandable," he said in a statement. In this era, automakers continue to roll out more and more technologically sophisticated vehicles.”

Due to shortages of various parts (especially chips), many automakers deliver cars to dealers without certain features installed.According to Amodeo, "communication between automakers and customers about removing certain features and when to bring them back is critical to customer satisfaction."

JD Power found that the majority of quality issues in new U.S. vehicles are related to the vehicle's infotainment system, a trend that has been researched in previous years.Six of the top 10 quality issues were related to the infotainment system, such as Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity, built-in voice recognition, difficulty using the touchscreen/display, built-in Bluetooth system, too few power plugs/USB ports, and inconsistent volume.

BEVs andPHEVshave more new-vehicle quality issues than ICE vehicles.Internal combustion engine vehicles had an average of 175 problems per 100 vehicles, plug-in hybrids had an average of 226 problems, and pure electric vehicles (excluding Tesla models) had an average of 240 problems.