2024 JD Powers Reliability Study: Jeep Rated Average

[Remorseless]

But again, your definition of "dependable" would seem to be the Jeep guy version.

No, no, it's a pretty normal version of "dependable". I get in, turn key (or push button, way less fun, but whatevs), it starts, we go. And it does this every time. It should track straight down the road, no stumbles or fumbles from engine or trans, and I shouldn't have to do anything other than basic fluid changes at the prescribed times(ish). The only time I'm accepting of having to work on my Jeep is when I break it off pavement. And I've only managed to do that a couple times, at that.

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[Remorseless]

Long story short, according to the dealer official OIL, yes you do 24000 KM = 15k Mi

Clearly if they'd used Amsoil it could've gone on a single lifetime fill.

 

[TheRaven]

No, no, it's a pretty normal version of "dependable". I get in, turn key (or push button, way less fun, but whatevs), it starts, we go. And it does this every time. It should track straight down the road, no stumbles or fumbles from engine or trans, and I shouldn't have to do anything other than basic fluid changes at the prescribed times(ish). The only time I'm accepting of having to work on my Jeep is when I break it off pavement. And I've only managed to do that a couple times, at that.

Yet the JL largely doesn't seem to fit that description...with so many needing major engine work by the 80k mark, and so many others needing endless dealer visits for electrical issues. This forum is stuffed with examples of JLs sitting at dealers because the dealers have no idea what to do to fix them. So yeah...if you need a vehicle to be there for you every day, day after day, it definitely would appear to be a bad idea to choose a JL.

 

[Remorseless]

Yet the JL largely doesn't seem to fit that description...with so many needing major engine work by the 80k mark, and so many others needing endless dealer visits for electrical issues. This forum is stuffed with examples of JLs sitting at dealers because the dealers have no idea what to do to fix them. So yeah...if you need a vehicle to be there for you every day, day after day, it definitely would appear to be a bad idea to choose a JL.

All car forums are full of such stories. Tacoma forums, Mustang forums, you name it. The rate at which these kind issues occur, for any make - Jeep included, tend to be pretty dang low, and thus make most cars a safe bet for dependability given the volume produced vs the volume that have sob stories.

 

[grimmjeeper]

I had typed up a nice long reply about how you have to look at previous years for context for these rankings to actually matter...but then I realized that this is the "Vehicle Dependability Study" not the "Initial Quality Study".

The Initial Quality Study is the one you want - that's the study that shows how well a vehicle is built. The Dependability Study isn't really helpful because at the age they are looking at, reliability depends far more on how a vehicle was maintained than how it was built. This is an evaluation of owners, not manufacturers.

While maintenance does play a part, dependability can be designed in. If you have quality parts and a solid design, the vehicle will last. If you skimp on parts and push designs right at their rated capacity for normal use, you'll see more failures even with religious maintenance.

Chrysler had this problem with their transmissions off and on since the 90s. Their transmissions were rated higher than they really were capable of handling. Put the base V8 transmission behind a V6 and it was fine. But behind a V8 it would barely last to the end of the warranty.

Choices like that have a huge impact on the long term reliability of a vehicle.

 

[TheRaven]

All car forums are full of such stories.

Not like this one though. I'm a member at several other forums, (at least) two of them are many times the size of this one, and the difference is staggering. There are other members here who are also members over at one of those and they have remarked to me on several occasions the difference. It's huge. I've never in my entire online-automotive-forum-surfing life seen the volume of major issues posted like they are here.

I've said this like a billion times before - yes just about every model out there seems to have at least one major issue...but i've yet to encounter anything like what the Wrangler serves up. Especially the burning to the ground phenomenon. Never seen anything like that anywhere else.

That's not to mention the fact that this is all backed up by every major metric out there.

 

[TheRaven]

While maintenance does play a part, dependability can be designed in.

Agreed - and that's what the IQS study is for. That's what it evaluates. As time passes, more and more of how a vehicle holds up is due to how it is cared for. Poorly built and well-cared for vehicles will far better over time than well-built and poorly cared for vehicles. That's why you'll often find brands that perform well in the IQS not doing as well in the VDS and vice-versa.

So it depends on what you are looking for - but if you want to know who builds better quality vehicles, it's the IQS you want to look at. Honestly i'm not quite sure what you would really get out of the VDS other than a snapshot of the kind of owners that each brand seems to attract.

 

[NPC 20883467]

But you are a Jeep guy...which likely means you have that Jeep guy definition of "dependable".

Indeed... Fanbois gonna fanboi.

 

[grimmjeeper]

Agreed - and that's what the IQS study is for. That's what it evaluates. As time passes, more and more of how a vehicle holds up is due to how it is cared for. Poorly built and well-cared for vehicles will far better over time than well-built and poorly cared for vehicles. That's why you'll often find brands that perform well in the IQS not doing as well in the VDS and vice-versa.

So it depends on what you are looking for - but if you want to know who builds better quality vehicles, it's the IQS you want to look at. Honestly i'm not quite sure what you would really get out of the VDS other than a snapshot of the kind of owners that each brand seems to attract.

A well built but poorly designed car won't hold up in the long run, regardless of maintenance.

A poorly assembled but well designed car will last a whole lot better, even in the absence of good maintenance.

Build quality issues are transient. Design problems are systemic.

 

[Astro Jeep]

I suspect many Jeep issues are caused by folks upgrading their Jeep improperly, which plays into these satisfaction-type surveys. For example, it is not enough to slap on 37s. Those larger tires often cause problems over time because the owner did not upgrade other things along with those 37s.

 

[TheRaven]

A well built but poorly designed car won't hold up in the long run, regardless of maintenance.

A poorly assembled but well designed car will last a whole lot better, even in the absence of good maintenance.

Build quality issues are transient. Design problems are systemic.

Agreed...although build quality issues can be systemic, and I think this is also a problem for Stellantis. They haven't taken the time to create a culture of quality. It takes a long time and lots of money. It's something that I watched GM learn the hard way.

 

[Remorseless]

Not like this one though. I'm a member at several other forums, (at least) two of them are many times the size of this one, and the difference is staggering. There are other members here who are also members over at one of those and they have remarked to me on several occasions the difference. It's huge. I've never in my entire online-automotive-forum-surfing life seen the volume of major issues posted like they are here.

I've said this like a billion times before - yes just about every model out there seems to have at least one major issue...but i've yet to encounter anything like what the Wrangler serves up. Especially the burning to the ground phenomenon. Never seen anything like that anywhere else.

That's not to mention the fact that this is all backed up by every major metric out there.

My experience with other forums has been different, lots of the same as we get here. One difference I do see with Jeep owners is the willingness to seek out a forum. Though, given your general disdain for Jeeps, I'd wager it's more confirmation bias on your part than anything.

The burning to the ground thing is quite spread out amongst various makes too though, with lots of different causes. Regardless, cars burning down happens a lot. For instance:

Kia/Hyundai: Recall: Millions of Kia, Hyundai Vehicles for Fire Risk | NHTSA

Jaguar: Jaguar I-Pace fire risk leads to recall, instructions to park outdoors | Ars Technica

Subaru: Subaru Ascent Recall Due To Fire Risk, Park Outside Warning (carpro.com)

Toyota: Toyota recalls nearly 1.9 million RAV4 SUVs in the U.S. over fire risk - CBS News

Chevy: 'Park outside': GM recalls 40,000 pickup trucks to fix fire risk (ksbw.com)

 

[grimmjeeper]

Agreed...although build quality issues can be systemic, and I think this is also a problem for Stellantis. They haven't taken the time to create a culture of quality. It takes a long time and lots of money. It's something that I watched GM learn the hard way.

Build quality is its own beast. But in the end it's mostly independent of long term reliability. Sure, it can impact reliability in that you can have a higher initial failure rate. But once you get past initial failure rate, build quality effects drop to nil.

 

[MayThe4x4BWU]

Remember when J.D. Power used to send a crisp $1 bill to have you fill out their "surveys"? Do they still do that?

I never get surveys from them anymore

 

[Remorseless]

I suspect many Jeep issues are caused by folks upgrading their Jeep improperly, which plays into these satisfaction-type surveys. For example, it is not enough to slap on 37s. Those larger tires often cause problems over time because the owner did not upgrade other things along with those 37s.

I also wonder how many are caused by folks who take a stock Jeep out, treat it like a buggy, decide they don't like spending all day feeling the axle smash into the jounce tubes, and then end up with the consequences of their behavior later.

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