Detroit automakers take big steps in annual quality survey

DETROIT (AP) — Detroit-area automakers made their strongest showing ever in an annual survey of vehicle quality, as once-dominant Japanese brands faded.

The annual survey by J.D. Power also found that luxury brands performed below the industry average, often because they come equipped with more glitchy new electronics than mainstream brands.

Most Detroit-area brands outpaced the industry average in problems per 100 vehicles, with Fiat Chrysler’s Dodge brand tying for first place with Kia of South Korea. Five of the top 10 brands were from Detroit, with Chevrolet third, followed by Ram, Genesis, Mitsubishi, Buick, GMC, Volkswagen and Hyundai. Dodge and Kia tied at 136 problems per 100 vehicles.

Land Rover ranked last with owners reporting 228 problems per 100 vehicles, followed by Audi, Volvo, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar. Toyota, which traditionally ranks in the top 10, dropped below the industry average to 21st out of 32 brands included in the survey with 177 problems per 100 vehicles.

Detroit automakers benefited from a change in the study’s methodology, which was updated this year to include more questions about new technology, said Doug Betts, president of J.D. Power’s Automotive Division and a former quality chief for Fiat Chrysler.

The survey is redone every five years, and questions were added about features that didn’t exist during the last update, he said. As a result, owners reported more problems within the first 90 days of owning 2020 models, raising the industry average from a record low 93 problems per 100 vehicles last year to 166 problems this year.

That doesn’t mean quality is getting worse; it just means that more questions were asked about newer features, Betts said. Some questions, such as those about exterior rust or outside lights failing, were dropped from the survey because they...