Korean Brands Gain, Japanese Brands Fade in Initial Quality

Korean car brands extended their initial quality lead over all others in this year's U.S. Initial Quality Study from J.D. Power.

European brands surpassed Japanese brands for the first time in the study's 29-year history. Traditional domestic marques tied with Japanese brands for only the second time.

The Power study ranks brands according to the number of customer-reported problems per 100 vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership. A lower score signifies higher quality. Results were announced at an Automotive Press Assn. meeting in Detroit.

The industry average this year improved to 112 problems per 100 units from 116 in 2014. Korean brands averaged only 90 problems this year, down from 101 in 2014. European brands followed at 113. Japanese and U.S. brands narrowly trailed at 114.

Among specific nameplates, Porsche tops all rivals for the third consecutive year with only 80 problems per 100 vehicles. Kia ranks second (86). Other top performers are Jaguar (93), Hyundai (95) and Infiniti (97).

The bottom five brands in 2015 are Jeep (141 problems), Subaru (142), Chrysler (143), Smart (154) and Fiat (161).

Power says entertainment and Bluetooth connectivity features remain the most likely source of owner complaints for the third consecutive year. The study notes that carmakers continue to struggle to match the performance of their in-car technologies with standard-setting smartphones.