2025 JD Power Initial Quality Study

[OVERKILL]

Well...

I know this isn't the long term reliability study, but I do find some of the results a bit eye opening!

 

[wemay]

Wow, what a drop for Toyota. Regardless of your thoughts on JDPower, Toyota is hardly ever this low on any quality report.

 

[_Will_]

Interesting the disparity between brands that share a parts bin, Nissan and Infiniti being one example.

 

[tbm5690]

Interesting the disparity between brands that share a parts bin, Nissan and Infiniti being one example.

You beat me to it. IMO that alone gives credibility issues to the types of charts.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Wow, what a drop for Toyota. Regardless of your thoughts on JDPower, Toyota is hardly ever this low on any quality report.

Didn't Toyota have some large engine related recalls?

 

[wemay]

Didn't Toyota have some large engine related recalls?

Yup, it's caught up to them.

 

[walterjay]

Wow. Something to think about. Surprised Volvo and VW were so far down.

 

[MrHorspwer]

You beat me to it. IMO that alone gives credibility issues to the types of charts.

Initial quality isn't long term dependability (or any real measure of dependability).

IQS seeks to find "problems" in the first 90 days of ownership.

Is a repair visit a problem? Yeah, of course it is, and it's counted in the IQS data.

The layout of switches and buttons is also considered a problem. A steering wheel that obscures some type of information on the instrument panel is a problem. An uncomfortable seat is a problem. A complicated process for pairing your phone is a problem.

None of these require a repair; They're just how the car is. They're still all very important to prospective purchasers and are an indicator that an automaker is doing things right.

A lot of automakers were beat up in the past (and a few still are being beaten up) over their infotainment systems. They were complicated, difficult to use, and customers generally weren't happy. Again, nothing is broken here, they just were right.

As for Nissan and Infiniti, maybe luxury Infiniti uses a lot of big screen and virtual on-screen buttons that customers find difficult to use with no tactile feedback, where Nissan uses simple, easy-to-operate physical switches. That's an IQS indicator.

 

[silveravant]

I just got a new 2025 Audi Q5. This is the "old" 2025, replaced with the "new" Q5. I purchased it through the Costco auto program. I Got $6000 off from MSRP without any negotiating Car is perfect, absolutely no defects, except the tech takes a little while to figure out.

 

[fdcg27]

Surprised that Nissan ranks so high.
Not sure how meaningful these survey results actually are.

 

[JeffKeryk]

As with any data, the devil is in the details. I would like to see the quality issues...

 

[Propflux01]

I find it a bit hard to see Mazda so far down the line.

 

[Boomer]

Interesting. I have owned four VWs in the past 13-14 years and only one ever had a warranty repair and that was for a window that would not close properly. Took five minutes to fix. Fit and finish were and are excellent on these vehicles. Of the current two gassers (bought new), neither burns any oil and both run flawlessly. Of all the cars I have owned in my life, these are the best.

 

[_Will_]

As for Nissan and Infiniti, maybe luxury Infiniti uses a lot of big screen and virtual on-screen buttons that customers find difficult to use with no tactile feedback, where Nissan uses simple, easy-to-operate physical switches. That's an IQS indicator.

You may be on the right track for the wrong reason, new tech the consumer can sometimes be the beta tester for the manufacturer; wonder if Infiniti with the extra bells and whistles has additional complexity that may run into functional issues.

That push for improved performance with improved efficiency accompanies increased complexity and may also be the drive behind some of the shuffling of manufacturers.

 

[CharBaby]

Wow, what a drop for Toyota. Regardless of your thoughts on JDPower, Toyota is hardly ever this low on any quality report.

The new Tundra and possibly the new Tacoma truck engines are killing Toyota. Take the trucks out of the equation and Toyota would be higher.

Surprised that Nissan ranks so high.
Not sure how meaningful these survey results actually are.

Nissan/JATCO CVT's have killed Nissan's reliability over the years. Lately, JATCO trannies have gotten better, bringing up the company's score.

As MrHorspwer said, the IQS isn't long term, it in the first 90 days of ownership and the complaints & fixes a customer experiences with their new vehicle.

For example, NISSAN is much higher right now however, when I bought my new 2015 Altima in 2015, I took it back 5 times for defects including poor paint quality and another 3 time for recalls and 1 time for a complete L & R rear control arms replacement under a campaign. So now, NISSAN is getting better with in house quality. But when it comes to long term quality/reliability, NISSAN is no HONDA or TOYOTA...generally speaking!

When we bought our new 2023 Toyota Venza Hybrid, it has a terrible paint job and the alignment was out of spec right from the factory.
And the infotainment system including the center dash screen info, often freezes. Other than those complaints, it's fine.

What all this means is, the rest of the world is catching up to one another in terms of assembly of their vehicles. It may not change the long term reliability which is engineering and using quality parts or not.

 

[IndyFan]

How does Chevy get that high with the 6.2 issues? I know this is 2025, but I don´t think there was ever a dip for them during those model years. So I once thought JD Power had some accuracy, but the GM 6.2 issue killed their credibility.

 

[CharBaby]

^^^ It's the initial quality that is being measured.

 

[John105]

How does Chevy get that high with the 6.2 issues? I know this is 2025, but I don´t think there was ever a dip for them during those model years. So I once thought JD Power had some accuracy, but the GM 6.2 issue killed their credibility.

I resemble that remark, as we have one on order

Was JD Power really, ever, any more scientific (reliable and valid) than Consumer Reports? I'll never live CR down. My 2007 car, that is my daily driver today, was on the CR "Most Unreliable" and "Avoid" lists for 2007. Suddenly, a few years later, the very same car, was on their "Recommended" list. How much more arbitrary could their lists and recommendations be?

Meanwhile, as I type, it's 18.5 years later, and the car has been completely reliable. I bought a factory extended warranty and didn't have a single claim. Yep. You don't see too many people like me, admitting I threw away almost $3k (I've lost more on the stock market and I got a new job/bump when I bought the warranty, so I tell myself it's ok). What is the true value of these types of lists that come out? CR said that, "There is nothing sporty about the new (2015) GTI." Then, they recommend the 2016? It's a sham. Like K&N filters!

I would rather focus my attention on the Monte Hall paradox. Say you choose door number 3? Monte opens up door number 2 and there are billy goats grazing in the studio, and he offers you a chance to switch your choice to door number 1, do you do it? Yes. Every time. Because you use probability to make that decision. With JD Power and CR, you may as well have monkeys throwing darts. Kinda like the way my office is run.

 

[IndyFan]

How does Chevy get that high with the 6.2 issues? I know this is 2025, but I don´t think there was ever a dip for them during those model years. So I once thought JD Power had some accuracy, but the GM 6.2 issue killed their credibility.

Which is important, and it makes sense, but it is not as important as longer term.

Not surprised on the Gladiator. Mine has been flawless, and my 2018 has been nearly so, except for a few recalls to address problems that never actually showed up on mine. My brother had a 2020 Gladiator for 40k miles and never had an issue with it, either.

 

[CharBaby]

I’ve had decent success with the Nissans of late.