Reported problems with new vehicles declined sharply in the 2026 JD Power U.S. Initial Quality Study, marking the industry's largest year-over-year improvement since 1997.
The details: Porsche ranked highest among luxury brands, while Ford led the mass-market segment based on problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) reported during the first 90 days of ownership, according to JD Power.
Porsche posted an initial quality score of 138 PP100, followed by Genesis at 151 PP100 and Lexus at 156 PP100.
Ford led mass-market brands with 152 PP100, followed by Nissan at 156 PP100 and Buick at 162 PP100.
BMW earned the most model-level awards with six, followed by Hyundai Motor Group with five and General Motors with four.
BMW also captured the most segment awards with six, while Ford and Hyundai tied for second with three each.
Why it matters: The study signals meaningful improvements in new-vehicle quality across the industry, giving dealers stronger products to sell and helping to improve owner satisfaction and strengthen long-term loyalty.
OUTSMART THE CAR MARKET IN 5 MINUTES A WEEK
Get insights trusted by 55,000+ car dealers. Free, fast, and built for automotive leaders.
Between the lines: Infotainment systems remained the industry's biggest quality challenge, although premium brands outperformed mass-market competitors.
Mass-market brands averaged 44.4 PP100 infotainment-related problems, compared with 38.3 PP100 for premium brands.
Issues involving Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity accounted for a 1.4 PP100 increase in reported problems, making them the largest contributor to declining infotainment quality year over year.
What they’re saying: “The biggest gains in quality come from features that are easy to use—simple controls, less-intrusive driver assistance and software that works the way customers expect,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power. “When technology becomes too complicated, the likelihood of customers experiencing a problem rises considerably.”
Bottom line: While initial vehicle quality continues to improve, technology remains a key differentiator, signaling that dealers will increasingly need to be able to help customers understand and confidently use the growing number of software-driven features in today's vehicles.
A quick word from our partner
CDG Recruiting is the go-to recruiting partner for the automotive industry.
Whether you’re hiring for dealership leadership, C-suite positions, F&I, fixed ops, or automotive SaaS roles, we handle the heavy lifting. We leverage our industry network, source and vet thousands of candidates, and only introduce the people worth your time.
Our team brings decades of automotive recruiting experience and has successfully filled more than 1,000 roles across the industry. Every placement is backed by a guarantee.
If you’re looking for your next great hire, CDG Recruiting has you covered.
