Newly released study findings show vehicles are deteriorating faster after three years of ownership, resulting in less dependability.

The 35^th annual J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study found that last year the number of problems per 100 vehicles, or PP100, rose by four to 190 over 2022. It said that the rate of problems from 90 days of ownership to three years increased five percentage points to 17%.

The study, conducted in the fall and based on more than 30,000 responses, looked at 2021 model-year vehicles.

J.D. Power said that vehicle dependability deterioration is unusual.

“This can likely be attributed to the tumultuous time during which these vehicles were built, and owners are keeping their vehicles for much longer,” said Senior Director of Auto Benchmarking Frank Hanley in a press release on the findings.

“In fact, the average age of vehicles on American roads today is approximately 12 years, which underscores the importance of building a vehicle designed to stand the test of time. Automakers must ensure new vehicle technology introduced today will still meet the customer’s needs years down the road.”

The study also shows that infotainment systems continue to be the most problematic feature of new vehicles, with 49 PP100, almost double the level of problems of the next most problematic area. There is also a high level of annoyance with driver-assistance alerts.

Battery-electric and  plug-in hybrid vehicles present more problems than gas-powered and hybrid models, the findings indicate.   

The study gave Toyota the most segment awards of any brand, with nine total, including the luxury brand Lexus taking the highest overall dependability ranking for the second year in a row and the Toyota brand ranking first in the mass-market segment.

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