JD Power Explained - Why These Scores Aren't All About Reliability
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Date: 2025-07-20
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Comments and reviews: 20
djd2819
I've been making this argument for 20 years. People read headlines and aren't statistics-savvy so they really don't understand. Then they go off and say xyz is the highest quality vehicle. Of course, it might be but it also might not be.
In fairness, JDP has statistically correlated IQS scores with VDS scores three years later: a poor IQS vehicle is not likely to fetch a good VDS score three years later. Also, a vehicle getting a significantly poorer IQS than another model might not be a good candidate for me to avoid - if actual owners are slamming the model, I might not like it either.
Keep in mind that JDP's main audience is the manufacturers - and they are very interested in how happy customers are after 90 days (the IQS. A car with good VDS ratings do tend to have stronger brand loyalty levels - that three year mark is not an accident as that's the end of most cars' factory warranty and it's that time when many people decide whether to keep or trade the car.
Great video, Alex.
PS - OTOH, while I like CR's car reviews, I can't stand their reliability data. I'm saddled with a background in statistics and public opinion research and (ironically) just can't see their data as reliable - way too many methodological flaws.
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I've been making this argument for 20 years. People read headlines and aren't statistics-savvy so they really don't understand. Then they go off and say xyz is the highest quality vehicle. Of course, it might be but it also might not be.
In fairness, JDP has statistically correlated IQS scores with VDS scores three years later: a poor IQS vehicle is not likely to fetch a good VDS score three years later. Also, a vehicle getting a significantly poorer IQS than another model might not be a good candidate for me to avoid - if actual owners are slamming the model, I might not like it either.
Keep in mind that JDP's main audience is the manufacturers - and they are very interested in how happy customers are after 90 days (the IQS. A car with good VDS ratings do tend to have stronger brand loyalty levels - that three year mark is not an accident as that's the end of most cars' factory warranty and it's that time when many people decide whether to keep or trade the car.
Great video, Alex.
PS - OTOH, while I like CR's car reviews, I can't stand their reliability data. I'm saddled with a background in statistics and public opinion research and (ironically) just can't see their data as reliable - way too many methodological flaws.
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ronkemperful
Surveys are inherently problematic: 1) if worded poorly they can cause a false positive or negative response, 2) the surveyor will unintentionally or intentionally will insert a level of bias which can obscure the truth, 3) numerically a survey can be misinterpreted by working the numbers deceitfully, to make a result appear better or worse than it actually is. I have long had a jaundiced view of J. D. Powers, especially when a dealership or brand has a trophy case full of 'awards' to trumpet the superiority of their product. Consumer Reports is not necessarily any better for in the case of my uncle's two Tesla vehicles they gave a mediocre, even a not recommended review concerning reliability - when in the case of his 2021 and 2024 model 3 and Y, the assembly was flawless, no rattles and no mechanical issues. often it is the disgruntled customer that is the one that fills out the survey, is that a way to do a survey
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Surveys are inherently problematic: 1) if worded poorly they can cause a false positive or negative response, 2) the surveyor will unintentionally or intentionally will insert a level of bias which can obscure the truth, 3) numerically a survey can be misinterpreted by working the numbers deceitfully, to make a result appear better or worse than it actually is. I have long had a jaundiced view of J. D. Powers, especially when a dealership or brand has a trophy case full of 'awards' to trumpet the superiority of their product. Consumer Reports is not necessarily any better for in the case of my uncle's two Tesla vehicles they gave a mediocre, even a not recommended review concerning reliability - when in the case of his 2021 and 2024 model 3 and Y, the assembly was flawless, no rattles and no mechanical issues. often it is the disgruntled customer that is the one that fills out the survey, is that a way to do a survey
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nickgonchar7272
Very useful clarification for those who did not realize the nature of JDP's surveys before.
Still, who but the automakers themselves would be in the best position to know everything about the problems with their vehicles without any surveys. After all, they are paying (or refusing to pay) for all the warranty work done (requested) on the vehicles. For this reason I think that JDP is more of a marketing agent for the paying automakers rather than actual information source. This is the grain of salt JDP should be taken with.
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Very useful clarification for those who did not realize the nature of JDP's surveys before.
Still, who but the automakers themselves would be in the best position to know everything about the problems with their vehicles without any surveys. After all, they are paying (or refusing to pay) for all the warranty work done (requested) on the vehicles. For this reason I think that JDP is more of a marketing agent for the paying automakers rather than actual information source. This is the grain of salt JDP should be taken with.
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rockys7726
I always knew JD Power is meaningless. It's very deceiving yet people pay attention to it because there are nothing else out there. I can't believe each OEM doesn't do enough of their own reliability testing to know what systems will or won't have issues. You see yard holds all the time due to faulty systems/parts. JD Power only carries weight because it's marketed directly to consumers so the OE's have to pay attention.
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I always knew JD Power is meaningless. It's very deceiving yet people pay attention to it because there are nothing else out there. I can't believe each OEM doesn't do enough of their own reliability testing to know what systems will or won't have issues. You see yard holds all the time due to faulty systems/parts. JD Power only carries weight because it's marketed directly to consumers so the OE's have to pay attention.
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DavidDLee
If you log in to JD Power website and look at a specific model, you will the final score of the vehicle and a breakdown, including quality and reliability. However, even there, it will include design flaws or issues with the infotainment.
I believe in past years you could see a breakdown by mechanical issues etc. (or maybe you need an account, so it was even more fine grained and more useful.
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If you log in to JD Power website and look at a specific model, you will the final score of the vehicle and a breakdown, including quality and reliability. However, even there, it will include design flaws or issues with the infotainment.
I believe in past years you could see a breakdown by mechanical issues etc. (or maybe you need an account, so it was even more fine grained and more useful.
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kanakapono
You are doing the general public a valuable service by making these reports easier to understand.
There are too many social media auto influencers who provide automaker marketing with the hopes that the general public will be swayed to purchase. Not enough auto influencers take a deeper dive into the vehicles to give a clearer picture for the buying public to discern. Thank you.
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You are doing the general public a valuable service by making these reports easier to understand.
There are too many social media auto influencers who provide automaker marketing with the hopes that the general public will be swayed to purchase. Not enough auto influencers take a deeper dive into the vehicles to give a clearer picture for the buying public to discern. Thank you.
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DISRUPTOR_AEK-971
Honestly I don't doubt that the car manufacturers don't pay JD power to change up the ratings to make themselves look better in IQS or VDS. I don't trust JD power and I definitely don't trust the car manufacturers. The only way to know reliability and durability is by seeing the manufacturers warranty work history which will never happen unfortunately.
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Honestly I don't doubt that the car manufacturers don't pay JD power to change up the ratings to make themselves look better in IQS or VDS. I don't trust JD power and I definitely don't trust the car manufacturers. The only way to know reliability and durability is by seeing the manufacturers warranty work history which will never happen unfortunately.
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alanlau2375
JD power is right because the reliability is a estimate or projection. In this day and age, most of the car manufacturers are using the same parts and almost identical technology. As a consumer today, I prefer after sales service and the manufacturer responds. No one can guarantee everything perfect. I just want to buy something with good warranty service.
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JD power is right because the reliability is a estimate or projection. In this day and age, most of the car manufacturers are using the same parts and almost identical technology. As a consumer today, I prefer after sales service and the manufacturer responds. No one can guarantee everything perfect. I just want to buy something with good warranty service.
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joeb4294
0: 15 If I may be pedantic (this is the internet after all, that headline is actually correct. Nobody can possibly guess correctly today which 2025 vehicle of any type will prove to be the most reliable in its class in several years from now. I can only assume that the content of that article is horse doodoo (I have to assume because I'm not going to read it.
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0: 15 If I may be pedantic (this is the internet after all, that headline is actually correct. Nobody can possibly guess correctly today which 2025 vehicle of any type will prove to be the most reliable in its class in several years from now. I can only assume that the content of that article is horse doodoo (I have to assume because I'm not going to read it.
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Qrail
Logically, if the car manufacturer (A) sold 137010 units (missing data on 3 years) and manufacturer (B) sold 34, 577 units, which one would be most reliable The Ford or the Fiat
Historically, I will pick the Ford Fusion Hybrid model run (2nd gen) over the Fiat 500L lineup. Then I would tell Tony to fix it again.
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Logically, if the car manufacturer (A) sold 137010 units (missing data on 3 years) and manufacturer (B) sold 34, 577 units, which one would be most reliable The Ford or the Fiat
Historically, I will pick the Ford Fusion Hybrid model run (2nd gen) over the Fiat 500L lineup. Then I would tell Tony to fix it again.
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mikethecargeek
Quality = Absence of Dissatisfaction is how they define it.
excellent explanation of JDP.
Automakers have to agree to participate by providing VIN Data (ex. Does that VIN have a Sunroof or Not) to help with the analysis. Tesla (of course) doesn’t-sometimes JDP estimates their results for comparison.
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Quality = Absence of Dissatisfaction is how they define it.
excellent explanation of JDP.
Automakers have to agree to participate by providing VIN Data (ex. Does that VIN have a Sunroof or Not) to help with the analysis. Tesla (of course) doesn’t-sometimes JDP estimates their results for comparison.
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bassandtrebleclef
Car companies pay a lot for JD Powah to get their meaningless awards for highest initial quality surveys. It would not help carmakers if JD Powah did dependability studies of cars that are 5 years old and have 60k miles because it would show things carmakers don't want to advertise about real reliability.
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Car companies pay a lot for JD Powah to get their meaningless awards for highest initial quality surveys. It would not help carmakers if JD Powah did dependability studies of cars that are 5 years old and have 60k miles because it would show things carmakers don't want to advertise about real reliability.
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alcozar5905
JD Powers has done this for years, they know this is misleading consumers. If JD Powers had to submit this to a university professor it would be immediately thrown out as mislabeled or deceptive. JD Powers has done this for years are they paid by manufacturer’s yes, they are compromised.
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JD Powers has done this for years, they know this is misleading consumers. If JD Powers had to submit this to a university professor it would be immediately thrown out as mislabeled or deceptive. JD Powers has done this for years are they paid by manufacturer’s yes, they are compromised.
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alliejr
You’re right. The manufacturers are the customer for JD Power. But by posting survey results to the general public, they open up a conflict-of-interest can of worms. As a result, it just appears as if manufacturers are paying JD Power for a good ranking. Therefore, their word is garbage.
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You’re right. The manufacturers are the customer for JD Power. But by posting survey results to the general public, they open up a conflict-of-interest can of worms. As a result, it just appears as if manufacturers are paying JD Power for a good ranking. Therefore, their word is garbage.
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wcg66
I’ve always thought the purpose of JD Power surveys are to promote the impression domestic car brands are more reliable than they really are. Now, it picks up some of the worst brands out there like Jaguar. The fact any Jeep product makes it on any reliability list, is suspect enough.
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I’ve always thought the purpose of JD Power surveys are to promote the impression domestic car brands are more reliable than they really are. Now, it picks up some of the worst brands out there like Jaguar. The fact any Jeep product makes it on any reliability list, is suspect enough.
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AM_SDG
Well said Alex. Marketing and sales misuse and misrepresent that data and JD Power benefits from that. There is a fair amount of subjectivity in these surveys opening the door to misinterpretation (intentional or not) of the results. Hence misleading the consumers
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Well said Alex. Marketing and sales misuse and misrepresent that data and JD Power benefits from that. There is a fair amount of subjectivity in these surveys opening the door to misinterpretation (intentional or not) of the results. Hence misleading the consumers
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thorhang566
Never trusted those rankings. As a car enthusiast, I know which ones are reliable and which ones to steer clear of. Like, come on. CHevy Cruze was Car of the Year multiple years Complete garbage. Someone's pockets definitely got padded on that one.
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Never trusted those rankings. As a car enthusiast, I know which ones are reliable and which ones to steer clear of. Like, come on. CHevy Cruze was Car of the Year multiple years Complete garbage. Someone's pockets definitely got padded on that one.
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matsuda150
Hi Alex. Timely topic here. Does JD Power actually have a reliability study that is useful to consumers and auto industry If not, who does Also, does JD Power measure dependability, quality, and reliability as separate KPIs Thanks!
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Hi Alex. Timely topic here. Does JD Power actually have a reliability study that is useful to consumers and auto industry If not, who does Also, does JD Power measure dependability, quality, and reliability as separate KPIs Thanks!
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BIGGJUPITER2
This information was so needed. So is their going to be a data feedback system that does have the consumers in mind Other than consumer reports. Also they do other stuff than cars so i dont really consult them for vehicles
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This information was so needed. So is their going to be a data feedback system that does have the consumers in mind Other than consumer reports. Also they do other stuff than cars so i dont really consult them for vehicles
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ModernCowboy78
I've never put any stock into JD Power. I have had a Toyota Tacoma, a 2015 Ram, a 2017 Fusion and a 2022 F150 and all have had issues but all have been reliable. If I likemaomerhing ill buy it as everyone has a bias.
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I've never put any stock into JD Power. I have had a Toyota Tacoma, a 2015 Ram, a 2017 Fusion and a 2022 F150 and all have had issues but all have been reliable. If I likemaomerhing ill buy it as everyone has a bias.
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