JD Power puts 2019 Ram at almost the bottom of dependability study

[NHRoadking]

Found this today as I researched trucks.

Since this reflects data from 2019 models, I wonder if Ram has improved since the 2019 new model release?



Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press
Thu, February 10, 2022, 12:16 PM


South Korean brands took three of the top five spots in J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study released Thursday, with Kia at No. 1, but one U.S. brand, Buick, following closely behind at No. 2.
Rounding out the top five were Hyundai, Genesis and Toyota, according to a news release. Lexus, at No. 6, was last year’s top brand.
Porsche was No. 7, followed by three U.S. brands, Dodge, Cadillac and Chevrolet, to fill out the top ten from among 32 brands sold in the United States.
Land Rover, Ram, Volvo, Alfa Romeo and Acura had the most reported problems.

One of a handful of closely watched annual auto brand surveys, this year's dependability study, which is based on responses from 29,487 original owners of 2019 model year vehicles, ranks brands based on problems per 100 vehicles.
This year’s study, the 33rd annual report, focused on 184 problem areas in various categories, ranging from features, controls and displays to powertrain, and adds driving assistance among them. It also measures owner satisfaction with their vehicles, the release said.
Kia as the top-ranked brand had 145 problems per 100 vehicles. Land Rover, at the bottom, had 284. The industry average was 192, the release said. Tesla was not included because of a small sample size.
Incidentally, the good news for Kia was released only two days after Kia and its sister brand, Hyundai, announced recalls covering almost 485,000 vehicles, telling owners to park outside and away from homes because of a fire risk. Both brands have struggled with engine fire issues in recent years.
More: Hyundai, Kia recall nearly 485,000 vehicles due to engine fire risk
More: New union at GM Mexico plant could benefit US autoworkers
More: Stellantis exec: Stockpiling microchips can create supply chain imbalance
A few key points from the study are that infotainment systems generated the most problems, mass market brands actually performed better than premium brands and the Porsche 911 was the highest-ranked vehicle model.
David Amodeo, director of global automotive at J.D. Power, said dependability is a key issue.
“Many owners are holding on to their vehicles longer, so long-term dependability is even more critical,” Amodeo said in the release. “Some automakers are performing much better than others at preventing problems from occurring. These problems include the vehicle’s mechanicals, exterior and interior but also infotainment systems, driver assistance systems and all the other electronic systems in today’s vehicles.”
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence. Become a subscriber.

J.D. Power 2022 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study brand rankings​

1. Kia, 145*
2. Buick, 147
3. Hyundai, 148
4. Genesis, 155
5. Toyota, 158
6. Lexus, 159
7. Porsche, 162
8. Dodge, 166
9. Cadillac, 168
10. Chevrolet, 171
11. Mini, 173
12. Mazda, 179
13. Lincoln, 180
14. Mitsubishi, 183
15. BMW, 187
16. Ford, 188
17. GMC, 192
18. Mercedes-Benz, 195
19. Jeep, 201
20. Nissan, 205
21. Volkswagen, 217
22. Subaru, 226
23. Infiniti, 228
24. Honda, 230
25. Audi, 232
26. Jaguar, 233
27. Chrysler, 240
28. Acura, 244
29. Alfa Romeo, 245
30. Volvo, 256
31. Ram, 266
32. Land Rover, 284

Source: J.D. Power. *Brands are listed in order from fewest problems reported to most. The number after the brand name is how many problems per 100 vehicles were reported.

 

[Richard320]

I wish they'd break it out into types of problems.

I'll bet at least a quarter of Ram's complaints had to do with UConnect.

 

[jmt8706]

Scratch Hyundai off the list. They just recalled 485,000 for fire risk.

 

[SD Rebel]

My 2019 has been flawless, but as with any new year they will have issues. But it states RAM, which includes anything made from 2019 that wore a RAM badge. The 1500 was likely a big part of that score, but not the only model which was part of it.

Also, those issues that can bring a vehicle score down could be anything from powertrain to the entertainment system, it's not weighted.

 

[Idahoktm]

I don't put much stock in these ratings. You can look at 5 different sources and each one has a different order. Here's one from Consumer Reports.

Here is the 2022 Consumer Reports Auto Reliability Report rankings of major automotive brands:​

1. Lexus
2. Mazda
3. Toyota
4. Infiniti
5. Buick
6. Honda
7. Subaru
8. Acura
9. Nissan
10. Mini
11. Hyundai
12. Chrysler
13. Porsche
14. Chevrolet
15. Audi
16. Cadillac
17. BMW
18. Ford
19. Kia
20. Volvo
21. Ram
22. GMC
23. Mercedes-Benz
24. Volkswagen (31)
25. Genesis (30)
26. Jeep (26)
27. Tesla (25)
28. Lincoln (18)

They used to have really good ratings on products up until about 7-8 years ago. I used to purchase products based on their ratings, but I've been burned a few times now, so I've been looking elsewhere for better data.

 

[SD Rebel]

True, I mean RAM was actually number one in initial quality as well recently, and pretty high the previous years, the results are a tiny sample and again, what are they actually showing. They count issues the same, a issue logging into bluetooth is = to an engine failure .