San Antonio-built Toyota Tundra is winner in latest J.D. Power dependability study
Blog Feb 25th, 2016
J.D. Power’s latest U.S. vehicle dependability study is out — and the San Antonio-built Toyota Tundra is the winning model in its category.
The study, released today, is a benchmark watched by automakers and consumers. The annual study is based on reports from owners after three years so this year’s results are based on 2013-model vehicles. That was the last year of the second-generation Tundra. The current generation of the full-size pickup launched the following year, 2014.
The Tundra, which is built at Toyota’s South Side plant, was one of six model winners for Toyota. Only General Motors did better, with eight of its models winning their categories.
Both companies also did well in the brand rankings, with Lexus coming in at No. 1 for the fifth year in a row and Toyota ranking No. 4. Three of GM’s brands made the top 10: Buick at No. 3, GMC at No. 5 and Chevrolet at No. 6.
J.D. Power again cited technology issues as the primary source of problems cited by auto owners. The industry average rose to 152 problems per 100 vehicles, from 147 a year earlier. Infotainment, navigation and in-vehicle communications systems now account for 20 percent of all issues reported by customers, the firm said in a statement.
J.D. Power’s study found that 55 percent of owners who experienced no problems with their vehicle ended up buying from the same brand again, while just 41 percent of owners who experienced three or more problems with their vehicle stayed with the same brand for their next purchase.
The research firm, a unit of McGraw Hill Financial Inc., said it collected responses from October through December from 33,560 original owners of 2013-model vehicles. The study ranked 32 brands. The list didn’t include Jaguar or Tesla because of small sample size.