Cars are having more problems: Are new tech features to blame?

(NewsNation) — There’s bad news for drivers: Cars have more problems than they used to.

That finding comes from J.D. Power’s latest vehicle dependability study which measures car problems experienced by original owners after three years.

In 2024, the number of problems per 100 vehicles is nearly 60% higher than in 2021. This year, nearly two-thirds of the car brands studied saw an increase in reported problems, indicating “a decline in long-term vehicle dependability,” J.D. Power noted.

The decrease in dependability has corresponded with a rise in new tech features. Today, infotainment systems are the most problematic category, with 49 problems per 100 vehicles, J.D. Power found. That’s nearly twice as many problems as the next closest category, which is exterior.

With new car tech becoming more common, not less, the decline in dependability may continue in the years ahead. Last year, J.D. Power pointed to confusing tech as a reason for the rise in car problems observed in its initial quality study — which looks at issues in the first 90 days of ownership.

The new 2024 dependability report found owners of electric vehicles experienced more problems than owners of gas-powered and hybrid vehicles after three years.

Wear and tear on tires was a huge issue for EV owners. After three years of ownership, nearly 40% of battery electric vehicle owners surveyed said they replaced tires in the past 12 months.

The report looked at 184 specific problem areas across nine major vehicle categories and was based on 30,595 responses from original owners of 2021 model-year vehicles.

In 2022, J.D. Power began tracking problems in a new ninth vehicle category, driving assistance, which could partially explain the sharp rise in recent years. Before that, the report tracked problems across eight categories.

This year’s findings are noteworthy because they represent an unusual decline from J.D. Power’s initial quality study. In other words, the 2021 cars had more problems than early results suggested they would.

“This can likely be attributed to the tumultuous time during which these vehicles were built,” Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power said in a release.

Pandemic-era supply chain issues likely impacted dependability and could be a factor in subsequent reports.

The uptick in problems over the first three years is particularly important because owners are keeping their vehicles for longer, Hanley noted.

Across more than 30 brands, Lexus ranked highest overall in vehicle dependability for a second consecutive year. Toyota ranked best in the mass market segment.

Chrysler, Audi and Land Rover ranked at the bottom of J.D. Power’s dependability survey.

The rise in car troubles has occurred as maintenance and repairs have become more expensive. Those costs are up nearly 20% over the past two years.

Last year, the average annual cost of owning a new car hit $12,182 — up 14% from the year prior, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).

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