New J.D. Power quality study ranks Porsche tops, picks knobs over screens

Modern new cars and trucks suffer fewer mechanical breakdowns now than any of their predecessors — so much so that the key surveyors of quality among new vehicle owners has changed their methods. The latest version of the J.D. Power Initial Quality Survey released today focuses on design flaws rather than mechanical ones, a switch that elevates Porsche to the top of the industry and gives General Motors high marks, while forcing Ford to add buttons to its MyFordTouch entertainment system after a second year of subpar grades.

Using about 83,000 questionnaires from owners who bought new cars and trucks between November 2012 and February 2013, J.D. Power found that two-thirds of the complaints owners had dealt with technology inside the car, from navigation systems to confusing cruise controls to problems pairing their phones with Bluetooth. Under the Power study a complaint doesn't mean something's broken — just that it isn't working as the owner thinks it should be.

By the revised scores, Porsche tops all automakers with 80 problems reported per 100 vehicles. General Motors' brands all performed well, with GMC ranked second at 90 problems per 100 vehicles sold, Chevrolet fifth at 97 problems per 100 and Cadillac and Buick above the industry average. Lexus (94) and Infiniti (95) came in fourth and fifth, with the Lexus LS getting the fewest complaints of any vehicle at 59 per 100.

But the news isn't all good for Toyota; it's Scion brand ranks last in the revised survey, with Fiat, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Mini rounding out the bottom five. The industry average stood at 113 problems per 100.

And the power of the new survey can be seen most vividly at Ford: Last year, after it ranked 27th out of 34 brands due to complaints with the balky MyFordTouch system that replaced traditional knobs with an in-dash screen, Ford vowed a set of software upgrades and training courses by dealers would improve its results this year, contending customers embraced the voice-activated controls and touch screen menus once they fully understood them.