Vehicle design complaints rise, finds J.D. Power

Car owners in China are reporting more complaints about vehicle designs this year than they did in 2023, according to a J.D. Power survey released on Thursday.

The 2024 China Vehicle Dependability Study showed the number of problems per 100 vehicles rose to 190. A closer look revealed that malfunction-related issues decreased by one compared to 2023, while design-related issues increased by an average of 9.1.

The survey was based on responses from 33,317 vehicle owners who purchased their vehicles between January 2020 and June 2023.

It included 229 models from 44 different brands and was conducted from February through July 2024 across 81 major cities in China.

This year's survey found that design problems related to infotainment, driving assistance, and seats showed the most significant increases among nine major categories, rising by 5.3, 2.5 and 1.9 per 100 vehicles, respectively.

The top issues reported included unresponsive touchscreens, Bluetooth pairing and connection issues, unrecognized voice commands, Wi-Fi pairing and connection problems, and inaccurate in-car navigation.

Now in its 15th year, the study measures the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles over the past six months by owners of vehicles that are 13 to 48 months old.

The decline in China's vehicle dependability performance should serve as a wake-up call for automakers, said Elvis Yang, general manager of Auto Product Practice at J.D. Power China.

Yang said, "The rapid iteration of technology features makes 'timeless design' in infotainment and driver assistance systems increasingly important. If owners' experiences cannot be continually optimized through OTA updates, they may experience dissatisfaction through comparison."

He said balancing the speed of new model launches with high product reliability and durability will be a critical long-term challenge for automakers.

"As Chinese brands gradually enter international markets, the long-term reliability of their products will impact resale value and new-vehicle sales overseas," said Yang.