Vehicle dependability study shows the first increase in problems in 15 years

The latest J.D. Power and Associates Vehicle Dependability Study has found, for the first time in fifteen years, that the number of problems experienced by US vehicle owners has increased.
The 2014 survey was taken by more than 41,000 original 2011 model-year vehicle owners and it surmised that owners reported more problems with their cars than the owners of 2010 model-year vehicles did last year.
The study looks at the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles – PP100 – and examines the problems experienced by original owners of 2011 model-year vehicles during the past 12 months.
The 2014 study saw a six percent increase in problems from last year, with the overall vehicle dependability average of 1333 PP1000 – going up from last year’s 125 PP100 average.
According to David Sargent – J.D. Power global automotive vice president – the reported increase in problems is due to the changes implemented by car makers for their 2011 model-year vehicles. He also added that until this year, vehicle dependability improved constantly.
Engine and transmission problems are those which accounted for the majority of the PP100 increase in 2014, according to Sargent this was due to manufacturer’s focus on fuel economy improvements.
While they’ve been ernest about reducing fuel consumption, automakers it appears might’ve been compromising a bit on the quality because an increase in problems like engine hesitation, rough transmission shifts and lack of power do indicate some continuing challenges in these areas.
The study found that vehicles powered by foru-cylinder engines were especially unreliable, the problems with these types of engines increasing by nearly 10 PP100, while on average the large diesel engines also showed a tendency to have more problems linked to them than five- and six-cylinder units.
One unsurprising result of the study showed that dependability leads to loyalty, the owners who experienced fewer problems having a greater loyalty to their thosen brand.