JD Power 2018 Malaysia Initial Quality Study – Honda CR-V, Isuzu D-Max, Toyota Vios Most Reliable

JD Power has just released its latest findings, which revealed that 42% of all problems experienced in the first 2 to 6 months of ownership are related to the vehicle’s design, relating to the infotainment and air-conditioning systems, as opposed to manufacturing defects.

The overall initial quality for the industry averages around 92 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). While problems related to manufacturing quality remain as the core problem owners experience (44 PP100), design-related issues (39 PP100) have been increasing over the past 5 years.

JD Power also reported that car owners of Proton and Perodua reported a higher problem count than owners of Japanese brands (105 PP100 vs 77 PP100). Owners of national brand vehicles who have clocked more than 5,000 km reported more problems than owners of Japanese brands (131 PP100 vs 81 PP100).

As for the most common problem, owners reported about excessive wind noise (7.5 PP100), followed by excessive road noise (4.1 PP100), and the radio having poor or no reception (3.1 PP100).

According to the latest Initial Quality Study (IQS), owners of the Toyota Vios reported the least amount of problems, coming in at 77 PP100. The Vios’ nearest rival, the Honda City, saw 109 PP100, while the Proton Persona reported 113 PP100.

As for the SUV segment, the Honda CR-V topped the charts (48 PP100). The Mazda CX-5 (69 PP100) was also ahead of the industry’s average of 75 PP100.

Moving onto the pick-up segment, the Isuzu D-Max came in at first place (44 PP100), followed closely by the Ford Ranger (47 PP100). The Toyota Hilux (87 PP100) was behind the industry’s average of 71 PP100.

The 2018 Malaysia Initial Quality Study (IQS) surveyed a total of 2,766 new vehicle owners who bought their vehicle between September 2017 and July 2018, which included 55 passenger cars, pickup trucks and SUVs from 13 brands.