JD Power rated Tesla vehicles as the worst among the top 32 brands in its annual quality study. It is the first time that Tesla cars have been ranked by the influential customer survey now in its 34th year.
According to the JD Power Initial Quality Study, which measures vehicle quality in the first 90 days of ownership, Tesla cars suffered 250 problems for every 100 vehicles as reported by customers, compared to an industry average of 166 problems. Land Rover was the second worst performing brand with 228 problems per 100 vehicles. Dodge and Kia were tied for the highest-rated brand with just 136 problems per 100 vehicles.
The new study is based on responses from 87,282 new vehicle buyers and lessees for the 2020 model year. It shipped from February through March 2020.
Tesla gets a special call on the list because the survey doesn’t cover all 50 states. However, increased Model 3 sales allowed JD Power to collect enough data to measure quality for the first time. “Unlike other manufacturers, Tesla does not grant us permission to survey their owners in 15 states where required,” said Doug Betts of JD Power. “However, we were able to collect a large enough sample of homeowner surveys in the other 35 states, and based on that, we calculated the Tesla score.”
Last summer, reports emerged that Tesla was cutting corners in Model 3 production to meet aggressive targets. The company had to build a temporary tent to meet Musk’s ambitious goal of producing 6,000 Model 3s per week. Concerns that Musk has prioritized quantity over quality are a recurring theme for Tesla, which has recently extended to Model Y. The data collected by JD Power confirms this.
“What we call the blockade and the fight against car construction, that’s what Tesla is not good according to these data,” Betts said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. According to Betts, Tesla customers surveyed complained about the accuracy of the body panel, rattles, wind noise, and paint jobs.
Here is the full ranking, which shows issues per 100 vehicles as reported by owners at JD Power’s IQS 2020:
- Dodge (136)
- Kia (136)
- Chevrolet (141)
- Ram (141)
- Genesis (142)
- Mitsubishi (148)
- Buick (150)
- GMC (151)
- Volkswagen (152)
- Hyundai (153)
- Jeep (155)
- Lexus (159)
- Nissan (161)
- Cadillac (162)
- Infinity (173)
- Ford (174)
- Mini (174)
- BMW (176)
- Honda (177)
- Toyota (177)
- Lincoln (182)
- Mazda (184)
- Acura (185)
- Porsche (186)
- Subaru (187)
- Chrysler (189)
- Jaguar (190)
- Mercedes-Benz (202)
- Volvo (210)
- Audi (225)
- Land Rover (228)
- Tesla (250)
