WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA - The quality of new cars and trucks increased six percent in the most recent
J.D. Power and Associates survey. In J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Survey, new
vehicles last year had an average of 118 flaws per 100 vehicles — or slightly
more than one per vehicle during the first 90 days of ownership, according to www.dallasnews.com.
The industry average in 2006 was 125 defects per 100 vehicles.
For the
third consecutive year, Porsche topped the survey with 87 flaws per 100
vehicles, followed by Infiniti (98), Lexus (99), Mercedes-Benz (104), and Toyota (104).
Although
luxury brands generally had the fewest flaws in the survey, mainstream cars and
trucks from Ford and General Motors also scored well. Mercury came in sixth
with 109 flaws per 100 vehicles, beating Honda. Ford, with 112 flaws per 100
vehicles, was ranked higher than Jaguar, Audi, Cadillac, Acura, and BMW.
Three-fourths
of the 36 nameplates that participated in the annual survey improved in
quality.
The
bottom-ranked vehicles were Suzuki (152 problems per 100 vehicles), Saturn
(157), Land Rover (161), Mini (163), and Jeep (167).
The
survey is largely a measure of the quality of the components that go into a
vehicle, as well as its assembly process. This year’s study was based on
responses from 81,500 consumers.
Both
Acura (119 flaws) and BMW (126 flaws) scored below average because of problems
with high-tech electronic systems.
