American autos make comeback in quality

Detroit-area automakers made their strongest showing ever in an annual survey of vehicle quality as Japanese brands have faded.

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. The situation

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.

How it was done

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.

Infotainment systems remained the most problematic category, accounting for almost one-quarter of all problems. The biggest owner complaints were about poor voice recognition systems or difficulty connecting vehicles to Android Auto or Apple CarPlay systems.

GENE J. PUSKAR / AP Fiat Chrysler, maker of this Dodge Durango R/T Blacktop AWD on display at the 2020 Pittsburgh International Auto Show, tied with Kia for first place in the vehicle quality survey.