It’s that time of the year for J.D. Power to release its annual U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS). BMW managed to grab third place among luxury automakers with 190 problems reported per 100 vehicles. Lexus earned first place with only 135 issues, followed by Porsche with 175 problems.
Overall, BMW finished in ninth place, matching the average of 190 problems reported per 100 cars. The podium was occupied by Lexus (#1), Toyota (#2), and Buick (#3). Interestingly, MINI came well ahead of BMW with 174 issues, tying Chevrolet for fourth spot in the rankings. At the other end of the classification, Chrysler was dead last with a whopping 310 problems per 100 cars. BMW’s rival Audi took penultimate spot with 275 issues. Mercedes didn’t exactly excel either, with a worrying 218 problems.
How did BMW do compared to previous years? With 190 issues, it fared worse than in 2023 when 184 problems were reported, and also a downgrade compared to 2022 when owners had 187 issues. Seeing the glass half full, J.D. Power did name the X1 as the most dependable model in the “Small Premium SUV” segment in 2024. In addition, the X6 was the highest-ranked among “Upper Midsize Premium SUV” models.
Elsewhere, the latest study shows infotainments are still giving owners a lot of headaches. It’s the part of the car with the most reported issues – 49.1 per 100 vehicles. That’s nearly twice as many compared to the exterior, which J.D. Power puts in second place for the most problems reported by owners. Smartphone connectivity through Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is the most common infotainment-related problem, with 6.3 issues per 100 cars.
J.D. Power notes electric and hybrid models tend to have more issues than those powered solely by an internal combustion engine. EVs are the most problematic with 256 issues reported for 100 vehicles, followed by PHEVs with 216 and regular hybrids with 191. Owners of new gas cars reported 187 problems per 100 vehicles.
Source: J.D. Power
