Korean cars and trucks have beaten American and European brands in the JD Power and Associates Initial Quality Survey for the first time ever, after years of steady product improvement. Owners of Hyundai and Kia vehicles reported 117 defects per 100 vehicles – five fewer than the European defect rate and six better than the Yanks. The Koreans still trailed the Japanese benchmark, however.
Joe Ivers of JD Powers said that a decade ago nobody would have expect the Koreans to keep pace with, never mind surpass the European and American opposition in terms of initial quality.
Cars in general have improved over the years. Initial quality problems throughout the industry dropped 11% from 2003 to 119 faults per 100 vehicles, the lowest industry average in six years. Of the 169 models included in both the 2003 and 2004 surveys 76% registered an improvement, 21 % saw a decline in build quality and 3% remained the same.
In compiling their report JD Powers questioned 51 000 buyers of new 2004 model cars about faults they’d encountered in the first 90 days of ownership.