 Jeeps Low in Initial Quality - Again |
The Toledo Blade has a great synopsis of the results of the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study for the Jeep brand:
Even when design and production are weighed separately, Toledo-made Jeep Libertys and Jeep Wranglers still can't break into a vaunted list of top compact sport-utility vehicles based on initial quality.
...snip...
Although the Liberty fared at about average and was ranked ninth in the compact SUV segment, the Wrangler was below average at No. 15.
Buyers of the two local SUVs complained about wind noise; on the Liberty, brake noise was among problems reported, and for the Wrangler excessive fuel consumption was among the complaints, said Chance Parker, J.D. Power's executive director of product and research analysis.
"They both have different problems," he said.
...snip...
Dan Henneman, chairman of United Auto Workers Local 12's Toledo Jeep unit, said the Wrangler is notorious for wind noise, a problem being addressed in the redesigned 2007 model. He said other complaints about both SUVs will be taken seriously.
"Anything J.D. Power has a problem with, we try to improve on," he said. "We always try to improve on our quality."
Overall, the Toledo-born Jeep brand had 153 problems per 100 vehicles, far more than the industry average of 124. Still, noted a DaimlerChrysler AG spokesman, Jeep beat out fellow SUV heavyweights Hummer and Land Rover, the latter with 204 problems per 100 vehicles, the worst-rated brand in the survey.
"That's a good sign," said Chrysler spokesman Sam Locricchio.
Digg This Story
Save This Page to del.icio.usReader Reactions
The comments are owned by the poster.
We aren't responsible for their content.
You must login or register to post a comment.
| Poster | Thread |
|---|---|
| Josephus | Posted: 2006/6/12 22:12 Updated: 2006/6/12 22:12 |
Home away from home   Joined: 2005/7/18 From: Pennsylvania Posts: 243 |
 Re: Jeeps Low in Initial Quality - AgainI think the JD Powers survey are a little too oriented towards tight tolerances and fit & finish instead of actual reliablity and fun for the buck. Squeaks rattles and wind noise are what Jeep owners are expecting when they buy the Wrangler.
The 16mpg is abysmal for only 190hp and 250lb/ft. I don't think Daimler will allow poor build qualtiy to tarnish their reputation. |
|
| Poster | Thread |
|---|---|
| MarkH | Posted: 2006/6/12 10:03 Updated: 2006/6/12 10:14 |
Home away from home Joined: 2005/7/20 From: The Great White North Posts: 406 |
Re: Jeeps Low in Initial Quality - Again Anyone who complains about wind noise, road noise, or a bumpy ride in a Wrangler is a f***ing idiot and should be driving a vanilla Camry. That also goes for morons complaining about gas mileage in Hummers. 'Nuf said.
 I work in the auto industry for a Tier 1 supplier. The entire auto industry has made dramatic improvements in "quality" over the last few decades. Consistently, even with the dramatic improvements, the US is consistently quoted as "lagging behind" the Japanese brands. What most of the public doesn't comprehend is that the differences are only slight. Realize that the difference between 124 & 153 incidents per 100 vehicles is not discernable to the individual. That's a difference of about 1-1/4 versus 1-1/2 occurrences per vehicle. PULEEZE! Does that extra "whopping" 1/4 incident per vehicle make people run to the dealerships complaining they bought lemons? No. Now, if that difference was between 1 and 5 ocurrences per vehicle, that would be a perceptible difference.  The real differences lay in the customer's perception in "quality", which is generally based on styling differences, etc... not these survey numbers. But, the suits in the boardrooms like numbers. Unfortunately, so does the public. And the suits know that even with these "miniscule" differences, they need to focus on closing that gap. A lot of energy expended there. As far as styling improvements, there's a lot of US vehicles that have some ground to make up. There's no good numbers for that, so the same suits pay less attention. That's too bad, because that's exactly where the consumer pays most attention.  |
| Poster | Thread |
|---|---|
| loner | Posted: 2006/6/10 23:59 Updated: 2006/6/10 23:59 |
Just can't stay away  Joined: 2006/2/23 From: Posts: 71 |
Re: Jeeps Low in Initial Quality - Again Buyers of the two local SUVs complained about wind noise; on the Liberty,
Wind noise complaint was about a Liberty. |
|
| Poster | Thread |
|---|---|
| goldrubi | Posted: 2006/6/10 18:21 Updated: 2006/6/10 18:21 |
Not too shy to talk  Joined: 2006/5/31 From: Posts: 22 |
Re: Jeeps Low in Initial Quality - Again I hope they were at least comparing a hard top wrangler and not a soft top. DUH
|
| Poster | Thread |
|---|---|
| catdaddy | Posted: 2006/6/10 16:44 Updated: 2006/6/10 16:44 |
Just popping in  Joined: 2006/1/8 From: Ft Campbell, Ky (but I live in TN) Posts: 4 |
Re: Jeeps Low in Initial Quality - Again It still baffles me about people who complain about noise in a Wrangler, what did you think you were getting? Don't eat McDonalds everyday and complair your getting fat!
My TJ gives me an excuse not to answer the cell phone!  |
