Many Car Makers Improved Says JD Power and Associates IQS

2012 JD Power and Associates Initial Quality Study Shows Big Improvements

Amanda Hart

Getting better across the board

Every year, JD Power and Associates report their Initial Quality Study on every car manufacturer and model to show how good our new cars really are. The results? The 2012 JD Power and Associates IQS showed substantial improvement for nearly every major car company this year.

For 2012, the rated quality is up 5% over last year, with fewer problems and incidents reported on new cars. There are several different contributing factors for this noticeable jump forward, and they make it one of the best times in recent years to buy new cars.

No single manufacturer asserted dominance over the pack, and it was very competitive. In fact, no car maker placed first with its models in more than three classes. Of the manufacturers rated from last year, 26 improved, five dropped and one stayed the same. They determine how well each car did by how many reported problems they have in the first 90 days of ownership for each individual model, and for the car makers as a whole, per 100 vehicles sold.

The standouts

The average for reported problems per 100 vehicles this year was 102, down from 107 last year. It is definitely one of the best times to find a local dealership. The leading manufacturers were luxury brands like Lexus with 73, Jaguar and Porsche with 75, Cadillac with 80 and Acura and Infiniti with 84.

The leader of the big name plates were Honda with 83, Toyota with 88, Mazda with 97, GMC, Nissan and Ram with 99 and Chevy with 100. The worst scored manufacturers were newcomers Fiat and Smart, with 151. Volkswagen, Dodge and Mitsubishi all had 124, and Ford came in with 118.

Here is what JD Powers and Associates are ranking as the best in each respective class.

Subcompact	Compact	Compact Sporty
Toyota Yaris	Toyota Corolla	Mazda MX-5 Miata
Compact Sporty Premium	Entry Premium	Midsize Premium
Volvo C70	Lexus ES 350	Infiniti M-Series
Midsize Sporty	Large Premium	Midsize
Ford Mustang	Lexus LS	Chevrolet Malibu
Large	Premium Sporty	Compact Crossover/SUV
Ford Taurus	Porsche 911	Honda CR-V
Compact MPV	Entry Premium Crossover/SUV	Midsize Crossover/SUV
Kia Soul	Infiniti EX-Series	Buick Enclave
Large Crossover SUV	Midsize Premium Crossover/SUV	Large Premium Crossover/SUV
Ford Expedition	Lexus RX	Cadillac Escalade
Large Pickup	Midsize Pickup	Minivan
GMC Sierra LD	Nissan Frontier	Nissan Quest

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