“While the reviews of the interior and ride have been good I have been a bit gun shy to buy an FCA product given they finish last in about every survey”
The above comment is empirically untrue as it is treating all FCA brands collectively with the same brush.
The comment does not differentiate between the various industry surveys. Is it referring to Consumers’ Report, J.D. Power, etc.? In the case of J.D. Power there are two survey results given for each year; the Initial Quality Survey (IQS) representing the first 90 days of service, and the Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) representing the first 3-years of service. Both refer to problems per 100 vehicles by NAMEPLATE.
When looking at the last ten years of both J.D. Power IQS and VDS surveys it clearly shows huge swings year-to-year for most manufacturers. Looking at the IQS for 2016 model year (MY) for example, we see Chevrolet at 115, Chrysler at 146, Ford at 146, GMC at 161, and Ram at 171.
In the 2017 MY IQS, it’s Ford at 86, Ram at 86, Chevrolet at 88, GMC at 99, Chrysler at 102, Dodge at 106.
When we look at the VDS 3-year Dependability Study, the same swings are clearly evident. For the 2009 model year (MY) it’s Ford at 127, Chevrolet at 135, GMC at 158, Ram at 174, Dodge at 183, and Chrysler at 192.
2012 MY VDS = Chevrolet at 123, GMC at 123, Ram at 134, Chrysler at 173, Ford at 188, Dodge at 192.
2013 MY VDS = Chevrolet at 126, Ram at 127, Ford at 127, GMC at 134, Chrysler at 153, Dodge at 190.
2016 MY VDS = Ram at 129, GMC at 120, Chevrolet at 125, Chrysler at 165, Ford at 204, Dodge at 208.
(Of course some manufacturers don’t suffer from the same swing effects, like Toyota, which should preclude anyone primarily concerned about this subject to reject any other auto or truck brand anyways
.)
Unfortunately, these numbers are only good for vehicles carrying that particular
nameplate. It does not differentiate by models carrying the same brand name and JD Power does not release individual IQS/VDS numbers for specific models. That privilege belongs solely to manufacturers. So ultimately you cannot with any clarity discern the difference between an F-series, Ram, or Silverado model because their problem per hundred scores are masked by the average of a large population of other models that bear the same brand name.
The only possible exception in my opinion is Ram, since it is a pure truck brand that is diluted by a much, much smaller ProMaster population.
NOTE: I know Nissan makes a LD pick-up truck, but I did not include Nissan to enable brevity. Offense to Nissan truck owners was not intended.
Best regards,
Dusty
2019 Ram 1500 Billet Silver Laramie Quad Cab 2WD, 5.7 Hemi, 8HP75, 3.21 axle, 33 gallon fuel tank, factory dual exhaust, 18” wheels. Now at: 010049 miles.
