Dodge placed last in J.D. Power's Initial Quality Survey this week because it was held back by "a couple of vehicles that were not updated for 2011," a Chrysler Group spokeswoman explained today.

The two were the Nitro SUV and the Caliber small crossover, a J.D. Power officials tells Bloomberg News.

Making matters worse, spokeswoman Ann Smith says Dodge's performance was "sales weighted," with outgoing models selling heavily during the period in which was studied the most closely by the survey. Smith hints that Dodge would have done much better if its updated models were better represented in the survey.

Far from ducking its history of quality problems, Volkswagen seems eager to discuss them -- well, discuss how it has improved, how the standard measures of quality aren't the be-all indices, and how other things count, too.

No self-flagellation, but no more denial or weaseling, it seems. That's a strong impression from a session that Drive On attended the past week at VW headquarters in Herndon, Va., just a few miles down the toll road from USA TODAY h.q. in McLean.

The main reasons for the VW session were to provide 2012 Beetle driving opportunities for dozens of journalists, and to emphasize that VW is a full-line automaker, not merely a seller of niche-mobiles (such as the Beetle).

But the warmup was, "We do beter as a brand than we get credit for," in the words of Marc Trahan, VW's new executive vice president in charge of quality.

Yes, yes, he acknowledges, "We have some trouble in IQS," a reference to J.D. Power and Associates' widely watched initial qulity study, a measure of owner-reported problems the first 90 days of ownership:

In the 2011 IQS, VW owners reported an average 131 problems per 100 cars, putting VW into a tie with Mini for 29thwamong 32 brands. Best was Lexus at 73/100. Worst: Dodge at 137/100. VW's score in 2010 was slightly worse: 135/100.

Automakers have begun to criticize the IQS because it lets owners call something a problem even if it works as designed, but they found it confusing or cumbersome, such as a telecommunications or navigation system. Hardly the same as brakes that fail or an engine that won't run, but still a "problem" in the survey.

VW prefers to point to its many models rated as "top safety pick" by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which crash-tests cars to judge how well they would protect occupants. And the recent "Total Quality Award" from consultant Strategic Vision.

And even a different Power study, called APEAL (Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout). In that one, VW is above average, and ranks 14th out of 32 brands.

Probably more important from VW's perspective, its warrany costs went down 10% last year, are on track to repeat that this year, and have been dropping at about that rate for several years.

VW U.S. chief Jonathan Browning says that drop in costs is true even after you adjust for the fact that VW shortened its warranty to three years from five when it began offering free maintenance.

To improve its quality scores, VW says it is:

Reviewing customer feedback and complaints monthly, in an internal process much like the yearly Power IQS.
Involving a customer satisfaction team early in product development.
Changing designs andn layouts specifically to address U.S. customer issues. For instance, making seat recliner levers and climate-control knobs and switches easier to find, figure out and operate.
Paying more attention, sooner, to problems reported by fleet customers and dealers, to find and fix things before they become widespread among individual customers.
Hosting German-based VW Group board members for test drives during new-model development in the U.S.

Changing designs and layouts specifically to address U.S. customer issues. For instance, making seat recliner levers and climate-control knobs and switches easier to find, figure out and operate.

While probably not a surprise to everyone, it appears supply chain issues have affected car quality. According to the latest JD Power Initial Quality Study, consumers are reporting 11 percent more initial quality problems than the prior year’s new models. Expected or not, according to JD Power, these initial problems reach a surprising 36-year high—the entire run of JD Power’s Initial Quality Study.

As far as the sample size, this is from a survey of 84,165 new buyers and lessees involving 223 questions. These surveys cover early ownership experience and important aspects of a vehicle like features, control and displays, as well as active safety features like driver aides. Of course, JD Power also asks questions about infotainment; with a focus on technology, it makes sense that a massive microchip supply shortage would have a big impact on these results.

It’s not all bad news—at least for everyone. According to the JD Power study, Buick takes top honors for fewest initial quality problems, with Dodge following closely. Genesis takes the top premium spot and narrowly bests Lexus by one problem per 100 cars. Unfortunately, chasing the pack for the second year in a row is Chrysler.

Joining the list for the first time, JD Power finally put some data behind Tesla’s initial quality anecdotes. Despite not meeting criteria for any awards, the study did throw Tesla into the mix. The score? Well, it lines up with Mitsubishi with the same 226 problems per 100 cars. That’s not great, to say the least.

It will be interesting to see if car companies can overcome the continued supply chain issues when the next new models start rolling into their respective dealerships. Hopefully the next JD Power initial quality doesn’t hit a 37-year high.

All the major EV-only manufacturers that have a presence in the United States have ranked very poorly in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study 2023, which analyzes what problems arise in the early ownership period of a new vehicle. The results of this year’s study are based on responses from 93,380 purchasers and lessees of new 2023 model-year vehicles who were surveyed early in their ownership.

Tesla, Rivian, Lucid, and Polestar have ranked at the bottom spots of the chart, with the worst score going to Lucid Motors, which got a result of 340 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100).

The whole EV manufacturer picture is as follows:

• Tesla Motors: 257 PP100
• Rivian Motors: 282 PP100
• Polestar: 313 PP100
• Lucid Motors: 340 PP100

Tesla saw an increase of 31 PP100 year over year, while Polestar improved 15 PP100. At the same time, Rivian and Lucid Motors were both included in this year’s study for the first time. However, J.D. Power notes that all four carmakers are not officially ranked amongst other brands in the study as they do not meet ranking criteria.

The data analytics company says that, unlike other car manufacturers, Tesla, Rivian, Polestar, and Lucid do not grant it permission to survey its owners in states where authorization is required. As a result, a score was calculated based on a sample of surveys from owners in other states where authorization is not required.

Compared to the top three brands ranked in this year’s Initial Quality Study, the four EV makers are lagging quite a lot: Dodge is on the first spot, with 140 PP100, followed by Ram with 141 PP100 and, rather surprisingly, Alfa Romeo with 143 PP100.

J.D. Power notes that all new vehicles are becoming more problematic, with 12 problems per 100 vehicles more this year than in 2022 and 30 more PP100 compared to 2021. Among the issues mentioned by owners and lessees have to do with simple things like poor-sounding horns, cup holders that don’t serve their purpose, and the use of much more technology in general.Door handles are also increasingly problematic as manufacturers are trying to redesign them and make them stand-out features. The survey says that owners are having issues with high-tech approaches to this basic function and that seven out of the 10 most problematic models in this area are battery electric vehicles (BEVs), without going into detail.

“The automotive industry is facing a wide range of quality problems, a phenomenon not seen in the 37-year history of the IQS,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power. "The industry is at a major crossroad and the path each manufacturer chooses is paramount for its future. From persistent problems carrying over from years past to an increase in new types of problems, today’s new vehicles are more complex—offering new and exciting technology—but not always satisfying owners.”

The US Initial Quality Study, now in its 37th year, is based on a 223-question survey organized into nine vehicle categories: infotainment, features, controls and displays, exterior, driving assistance, interior, powertrain, seats, driving experience, and climate.