Report Shows Increase In Reported Car Problems Over Last 3 Years
The 2014 vehicle dependability study by JD Power and Associates says the number of owner-reported problems of 3-year-old cars, trucks and SUVs has increased six percent since last year.
What's most striking about that statistic is it breaks the trend. This is the first time in 15 years that vehicle owners say they have a marked increase in problems -- both defects but also general complaints -- about their cars.
Let's look at the vehicles from the 2011 model year that fared the worst, according to the study:
BMW's Mini brand had the poorest showing in the survey with drivers reporting 185 problems per 100 vehicles.
Second was Fiat Chrysler's Dodge brand, followed by Land Rover and Hyundai.
By comparison, those that got higher marks:
Lexus was ranked the most dependable. It had 68 problems for every 100 vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz took the second spot, followed by General Motors' Cadillac brand, Honda's Acura, and Buick.
Customer loyalty is also very important to car companies, but this study showed that if a car has three or more problems, only 43 percent of customers will likely buy from the same company the next time they need a car.