J.D. Power Reports IQS Results

For 2004, J.D. Power and Associate’s Initial Quality Survey (IQS) shows an 11 percent drop
in the number of problems the typical U.S. new-vehicle buyer reported, compared to last
year’s survey. The IQS counts the number of problems owners reported during their first 90
days of ownership, and puts them in nine categories. The final figure is calculated in
terms of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). This year, Japanese vehicles scored 111 PP100s,
compared with 119 for the overall industry. However, the quality numbers showed no gains in
the previous two years. Among individual manufacturers, Lexus came in first, scoring 87.
Hyundai saw its problem count drop to 102. This year, Korean automakers reached second
place, with a group score of 117 PP100s, beating both Europeans and American manufacturers.
The 2004 Ford F-150 comes a close second to the Toyota Tundra, tying Cadillac’s Escalade
EXT for second in the Light-Duty Full-Size Pickup category. The Hummer is at the bottom of
the list with 173 problems, although that is up 23 percent from last year’s survey.
2004 IQS Results: Lexus 87 Cadillac 93 Jaguar 98 Honda 99 Buick 100
Mercury 100 Hyundai 102 Infiniti 104 Toyota 104 Mercedes-Benz 106 Audi 109 BMW 109
Oldsmobile 110 Volvo 113 Acura 117 Chevrolet 119 Industry Average 119 Chrysler 120 Dodge
121 Lincoln 121 Pontiac 122 Subaru 123 GMC 127 Ford 130 Mitsubishi 130 Saab 133 Jeep 136
MINI 142 Land Rover 148 Saturn 149 Suzuki 149 Kia 153 Nissan 154 Mazda 157 Scion 158
Porsche 159 Volkswagen 164 Hummer 173