Chevy Ranks Second In J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Initial Quality Study
16
Sponsored Links
Chevy achieved second place in the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS), released on June 27th, 2024, coming in behind first-place winner Ram and earning a score that shows its vehicles have 35 less problems per hundred vehicles than the overall average for the year.
Chevy scored 160 on the PP100 scale (problems per 100 vehicles), behind Ram’s 149 PP100 score, but significantly better than the 195 PP100 average for the auto industry as a whole, according to J.D. Power’s research results.
Chevy narrowly edged out Hyundai and Kia, which registered PP100 scores of 162 and 163 respectively, for its runner-up placement. Chevrolet’s focus on mass-market brands helped it achieve a higher score, with mass-market vehicles performing considerably better in the IQS than premium brands thanks to their relative lack of complicated tech features that cause many of the problems reported in luxury brands.
Chevrolet vehicles took first place in four specific vehicle categories within the overall study. The Chevy Equinox crossover is the best vehicle in the Compact SUV category, while the Chevy Traverse tops the Midsize SUVs for 2024. The Large SUV category is led by the Chevy Tahoe, and the Chevy Silverado HD places first in the study’s Large Heavy Duty Pickup segment.
Chevy may also owe part of its high quality score to its relatively low number of EV models. Electric vehicles performed very poorly in the 2024 Initial Quality Study. Despite being touted as problem-free and easy to maintain compared to ICE vehicles, BEVs had a whopping 226 problems on average per 100 vehicles, 86 more problems than gas and diesel models’ average 180 PP100.
J.D. Power senior benchmarking director Frank Hanley stated that “cutting edge, tech-filled BEVs and PHEVs” are experiencing a plethora of severe problems. He says the study shows EV owners are being forced “to take their new vehicle into the dealership at a rate three times higher than that of gas-powered vehicle owners” by the urgent need for repairs.
Chevy parent GM also won the highest number of “model-level awards” for quality in 2024. These include the aforementioned quartet of Bow Tie models plus the Cadillac XT5 and Cadillac XT6 luxury crossovers.
Chevrolet also performed well in the 2023 Initial Quality Study, placing fifth behind Dodge, Ram, Alfa Romeo and Buick, but still scoring far above the quality average for the overall automotive market. The brand ranked third in 2022, outperformed only by Buick and Dodge.
The 2024 IQS is based on surveys of 99,144 drivers of purchased or leased 2024 model year vehicles acquired new within 90 days of the survey date. “Voice of the Customer” survey data was enhanced this year with electronic repair reports. This source provided additional real-world detail on problems severe enough to require dealership service.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more GM business news, Chevy news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.
Sponsored Links
Don’t credit it to not selling many EVs, because Kia and Hyundai sell a lot of EVs, and also did well. Blame it on newcomers to the auto industry not knowing how to build cars. I’ve not heard anything about Rivian and Polestar, but Tesla has been notorious for lousy build quality (but supposedly improving some).
As to the study, interesting Ram is at the very top and Dodge at the very bottom. Also surprising some of the more expensive brands didn’t do better since people who pay more for something tend to be more likely to report how good it is.
Keep in mind that Ram and Dodge split a full line of vehicles whereby Chev and Ford are full line
I think a better score would be to average Ram and Dodge , 225 and that is more in line with what customers are experiencing compared to other full line manufacturers.
Chev 160
Ford 179
Dodge/Ram 225
Surely won’t repeat for several years, at least with all the new Chevy models.
This is the survey that I can’t stand – it tells little. LONG-term reliability is far more important.
people who buy new dont care about that. and those who buy old.. well we just know how to fix em making reliability irrelevant.
I own a Cruze 1.8 with a 6-speed automatic transmission. The build quality is, frankly, terrible. The car has only run 121,000 km (not miles) and the gasket and water cooling system are faulty.
Here’s a list of the faulty components:
Thermostat
Two auxiliary water tanks
One auxiliary water tank return hose
The entire water pipe system
One water pump
One gearbox gasket set
Two gearbox tailshaft seals
GM should improve these common failure points and build better quality for long-term users.
GM should also build vehicles that are suitable for the climate and construction materials of the region: For example, is it necessary for the Cruze to have a thermostat that opens at 105 degrees? Instead, it would be more reasonable to maintain it at 90 degrees (105 degrees will damage many plastic components and gaskets prematurely).
Most TStat’s open at 185F(85C). Not sure why a cruze would open at 105. That sounds incorrect. 105C is 220F, which is usually when fans switch to high speed from low to increase engine cooling. Both mu gm cars run at 185F in almost all conditions. If it is 100F outside and I’m at a long light, it climbs to 205F. You may have a clogged or stuck TStat.
All Gen 1 Cruze cars (1.4 Turbo, 1.8 NA, except for the 2.0 Diesel) are originally designed to use a thermostat that opens at 105 degrees (similar to BMW). A design that seemed superior but turned out to be extremely foolish by the Opel engineers (ideal in theory but very poor in terms of material durability). The Gen 1 Cruze could have been a successful/legendary car if GM had built it with good materials, preventing leaks and failures that Japanese cars never experience in the first 10 years.
Dodge is a dead brand walking. Without their V8s in the lineup and quality that ranks THAT low, there is zero reason to buy one. Great job Carlos Tavares.
dodge is bringing back the V8 dont worry.
The study doesn’t make any sense. How is Ram #1 and Dodge dead last? Same with Chevy and GMC having that kind of spread, though not as extreme.
Also a “problem” needs to be weighted if they aren’t already. A rattling trim piece is completely different from a seized engine.
the way they conduct these has always been flawed. who they ask and when they ask them.
Impressive considering Chevrolet is a full line manufacturer. The only other company is Ford.
I agree with the Chevy quality as the proud owner of a 2009 Equinox (1st generation). It only had three problems. The first were the wheel speed sensors due to a bad supplier. All four were replace at no cost. The second was the #1 spark plug, also replaced at no cost (they still have a lifetime warranty). The third was the washer fluid pump which was clogged. That cost me only $25 to replace. Everything else (except tires, fiters, wiper blades, battery, and brake pads) is still factory original after 15 years.
And I quote the article; Chevy may also owe part of its high quality score to its relatively low number of EV models. Electric vehicles performed very poorly in the 2024 Initial Quality Study. Despite being touted as problem-free and easy to maintain compared to ICE vehicles,”
Ok. Then please explain Lincoln and Mazda as just two brands with zero BEV’s (not talking PHEV’s). And yet……………………….
Just one more way for the anti-EV people to try and say they are so bad. My last three vehicles have been Chevrolet. One Malibu and two Bolt EV’s. All three have been perfect and zero issues.
Its a dog eat dog world out there ! With all these automotive review company’s ,youtube channels and. brainwashed keypad warriors ! It only misleads the uneducated consumer ! For decades ive only owned gm vehicles and always will ! No grey hairs on my head !
Not a ton of comments on this article, but a lot of what I’m reading seems to be based on misinformation. I’m not claiming to be an expert here, but will add that in my (automotive) career I have trained on JD Power, how to understand it, how they do the survey and how to present the result to customers.
With that said, hopefully I can correct some of the bad info showing up. First, it’s not at all unusual for one brand show better that others from the same manufacturer. In this case, Ram vs. Dodge. Different plants, different managers, different materials and most importantly, different buyer expectations. This was common place going back more than 30 years now with Buick. The Buick brand had different quality control systems in place over Pontiac or Olds for example. Yes, many of the cars came down the same assembly line, but Buick also had (may still have) different check points, criteria and materials. They had different inspections. And if you had certain Buicks that were assembled in a totally different plant with higher standards, that would often give that model higher marks and thus push the brand higher overall. Think of Honda/Acura or Toyota/Lexus. Same company but much different brands and system checks in place, and it shows.
Also, unlike how Consumer Reports attains their results, JDP sends a lot of very thorough (long) surveys out to a large number of real owners. You don’t “belong” to or “subscribe to” anything. Not all owners get the surveys. I’ve owned a lot of new cars over the years and only been asked to fill out JDP a handful of times. When you do, you will see just how in depth and long these surveys can be. Overall they may not be perfect, but JDP results are certainly some of the best out there.