Kia tops J.D. Power quality rankings amid shake-up

DETROIT -- Kia took the top spot in J.D. Power's annual report card on vehicle quality for a second consecutive year, as industry ratings reached a new record and domestic brands maintained their edge over foreign rivals.Kia, with 72 problems reported per 100 vehicles, was able to retain its No. 1 position despite a shake-up in the 2017 U.S. Initial Quality Study rankings that included significant shifts with the German and Japanese brands -- most notably, Toyota and Lexus -- falling behind many U.S. and Korean brands."This is without question the best quality the world has ever seen," Dave Sargent, vice president, global automotive at J.D. Power, said when releasing the results at an Automotive Press Association meeting in Detroit. "The industry is picking up steam and really improving the quality of their vehicles."In its first year as a standalone brand, Hyundai’s luxury Genesis brand debuting at No. 2, with 77 problems reported per 100 vehicles. Porsche, with 78 problems, dropped to third -- its lowest ranking since 2015.Ford and Ram, both with 86, rounded out the top five brand positions -- marking the highest positions in the study for both brands and the first time since 2011 that two Detroit brands have ranked that high.Sargent said Ford's improvement, up from 11th in 2016, was largely because of its new Sync 3 infotainment system, a replacement for its previous Sync and MyFord Touch system that plagued the brand's rankings in recent years.J.D. Power 2017 U.S. Initial Quality StudyNameplate IQS rankingProblems per 100 vehiclesKia72Genesis77Porsche78Ford86Ram86BMW88Chevrolet88Hyundai88Lincoln92Nissan93Volkswagen93Mini94Buick95Toyota95Industry Average97Lexus98GMC99Chrysler102Mercedes-Benz102Acura103Cadillac105Honda105Dodge106Infiniti107Jeep107Subaru113Audi115Mazda125Land Rover131Mitsubishi131Volvo134Jaguar148Fiat163 Japanese fallImprovements to infotainment systems greatly helped brands from the Detroit automakers outperform import brands for the second year in a row, according to Sargent. In 2017, domestic brands received a score of 93 compared with 99 for import brands. It’s just the third time since the study was first published in 1987 that domestic brands outperformed their foreign counterparts."The domestics have done a pretty good job of wrestling the infotainment issue," Sargent said. "They have a significant advantage of the imports."Toyota’s brands, which for years led or were ranked near the top of the study, had mediocre performances this year, with Lexus ranking one position below the industry average and Toyota ranking one above it. This was the first time in the history of the survey that Lexus scored below average.Nissan, with a score of 93, was the top-ranked Japanese brand at No. 10 -- level in the rankings from a year ago.At the very bottom of this year’s rankings were Mazda, Land Rover, Mitsubishi, Volvo, Jaguar and Fiat -- all with between 125 and 163 problems reported per 100 vehicles.Many of the low rankings, according to Sargent, are due to the brands launching all-new products, which tend to have more quality issues than older, more refined models.Record qualityNew-vehicle quality overall for the industry reached a new record, improving a significant 8 percent from last year’s previous record-setting year. The industry average for the 2017 study is 97 problems reported per 100 vehicles, down from 105 a year ago.“For the most part, the industry as a whole has got their arms around this,” Sargent said. “This is the third-straight year of improvement. It’s an accelerating rate of improvement.”The only category to worsen this year was features, controls and displays. The largest increases in problems were for cruise control (primarily adaptive cruise); lane-departure warning; collision-avoidance/alert systems; and blind-spot warning.The study was based on nearly 80,000 responses from owners and lessees of 2017 model-year vehicles after 90 days of ownership. Consumers were surveyed from February through May.AwardsHyundai Motor Co., which includes Kia, was awarded the most model-level awards. They included the Kia Cadenza; Kia Forte; Kia Niro; Kia Sorento; and Kia Soul.Following the South Korean's five awards were General Motors Co. (Chevrolet Silverado; Chevrolet Silverado HD; Chevrolet Sonic; and GMC Terrain) and BMW Group (BMW 2 Series; BMW 4 Series; BMW X6; and MINI Cooper) both with four awards.Top three models per segmentSegmentHighest rankedOthers rankedSmall CarChevrolet SonicToyota Yaris, Honda FitSmall Premium CarBMW 2 SeriesBMW i3, Lexus CTCompact CarKia ForteChevrolet Cruze (tie), Toyota Corolla (tie), Volkswagen Jetta (tie)Compact Sporty Car*Mini Cooper Compact MPV*Kia Soul Compact Premium CarBMW 4 SeriesLexus ES, Cadillac ATSMidsize CarToyota CamryKia Optima, Nissan AltimaMidsize Sporty Car*Ford MustangDodge ChallengerMinivan*Chrysler PacificaDodge Grand CaravanMidsize Premium CarLexus GSLincoln Continental, Audi A7Midsize Premium Sporty Car*Porsche 911 Large CarKia CadenzaToyota Avalon, Nissan MaximaSmall SUVKia NiroKia Sportage, Buick Encore (tie), Volkswagen Tiguan (tie)Small Premium SUV*Mercedes-Benz GLABMW X1Compact SUVGMC TerrainFord Escape, Chevrolet EquinoxCompact Premium SUVPorsche MacanBMW X3, BMW X4Midsize SUVKia SorentoToyota Highlander, Buick EnclaveMidsize Premium SUVBMW X6BMW X5, Porsche CayanneMidsize PickupNissan FrontierChevrolet Colorado, Honda RidgelineLarge SUVFord ExpeditionChevrolet Tahoe, Toyota SequoiaLarge Premium SUVInfiniti QX80Lincoln Navigator, Mercedes-Benz GLSLarge Light Duty PickupChevrolet SilveradoRam 1500, Toyota TundraLarge Heavy Duty Pickup*Chevrolet Silverado HDFord Super Duty*No other model in this segment performs above segment average.There must be at least three models with 80% of market sales in any given award segment for an award to be presented. The Large Premium Car segment did not meet criteria to be award eligible, thus no awards will be issued.

Kia tops J.D. Power quality rankings amid shake-up

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