J.D. Power Study Finds Infotainment Systems Are the Biggest Drag on New Car Quality

New cars are getting better overall, but one feature is actively making them worse, according to the latest J.D. Power Initial Quality Study.

The study, which tracks problems across nine categories, found that infotainment systems are the only area where issues increased year over year. 3. 4 problems per 100 vehicles due to connection failures, audio interruptions, and glitching apps.

Driver distraction is also a major factor. Among owners who reported a distraction-related issue, 46% blamed the infotainment system. The shift away from physical buttons and knobs toward touchscreens and capacitive controls has made simple tasks like adjusting volume or climate settings more complicated and more dangerous to do while driving.

Automakers are responding. Hyundai and its luxury brand Genesis are bringing back physical controls, and Alpine’s design chief Antony Villain told Autocar that the brand is prioritizing intuitive buttons to reduce distraction. Voice controls are also improving as an alternative.

The overall picture isn’t all bad. Total problems dropped from 192 per 100 vehicles last year to 175 this year, the best improvement since 1997. Cupholders, driving assistance alerts, electric vehicle range, road noise, and body panel fit all improved. Porsche topped the overall and premium rankings, while Ford led mass market brands.

Segment winners included the Kia K4, Porsche 911, Cadillac CT4, BMW 2 Series, BMW 8 Series, Ford Mustang, Hyundai Sonata, and BMW 5 Series.