Originally Posted by TLtrigirl

OMG! another one...dude...this is the fourth thread....

Originally Posted by On The Run

So is this saying that for every single vehicle Chrysler produced, it averaged 1.92 problems in 2012? (192 Problems reported per 100 vehicles?)

Edit: I'm very right brained, so if I'm reading the graph incorrectly blame my mental retardation.

Originally Posted by ed_423

so benz is the only reliable euro? haha

Originally Posted by StHalcyon

C'mon, guys. True, there are many surveys out there, but JD Powers is bar none the only one all the automotive manufacturers rely on. If their data is bad, why the heck would every single manufacturer heed so much to the study? If manufacturers find it reliable, then what reasons are there for some (or most) of you to deem it useless? Does the results hurt your feelings? Ownership pride?

Second, the resulting data has taken into account statistical outliers and anomalies, like any quality statistical tabulation should do.

Third, if someone who owns an Acura thinks an oil light is just a recommendation and consider it as a problem on a survey, what's to say that statistically speaking per 100 vehicle owners, there isn't about the same rate of ignorant owners of other manufacturers who behave the same, thereby making the data between manufacturers' score reliable?

I think there is a gross misunderstanding of what these JD Powers rankings mean. The 3 different ones relating to automotive industry:

• IQS (Initial Quality Study) – measures new-vehicle quality at 90 days of ownership. Used as a predictor of long term dependability.
• VDS (Vehicle Dependability Study) – measures problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners of three-year-old vehicles. Used to help design and build better vehicles.
• APEAL (Automotive Performance, Execution & Layout Study) – measures how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive at 90 days of ownership.

The chart the OP posted is for the 2012 VDS, which is for cars made and sold in 2009. You suppose owners who have had their cars for 3 years would somehow try to score it lower? I mean, what incentive is there for people to do that? But let's say that Acura owners have an ax to grind. But what makes you think owners of other manufacturers want to do exactly the opposite, giving high marks for bad quality?




I simply just don't understand why so many people call their studies BS when every auto manufacturer rely heavily on the results. I'll grant you that the IQS is more likely to be subjective because owners are still in their new purchase high, but for the VDS, the honeymoon's over, regardless of what make their car is.



Please don't confuse other proprietary JD Powers studies paid for by each individual manufacturer for a specific survey. Those results are not published by JD Powers, and the data points are not standardized by JD Powers. Such a survey may be about your dealer where you bought your car, or about service departments. The big 3, (IQS, VDS and APEAL) are the automotive industry's gold standard.

Bottom line: Check your emotions at the door, and take an objective view as to how and why the scores are the way they are. If the data is truly crap, then at least one manufacturer will declare it so. Yet, they treat such information as gold and truth to the point where some CEOs use low scoring results as motivation for their VPs and directors to shape up or leave.