A recent report by J.D. Power and Associates has revealed one of the biggest downsides to all the fancy technology packed inside vehicles today. According to the research firm, software-related glitches and issues are sharply rising, with Tesla Motors and Jaguar Land Rover struggling the most. Automakers with the lowest rate of software complaints include Chevrolet, GMC, Ram, Toyota, Mazda, and Subaru.
The study, which combines data from J.D. Power and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, focuses on software complaints, recalls, and Technical Service Bulletins from 2011 to 2016. Consumer complaints reported to NHTSA, for example, totaled 615 in 2015. The agency expects to surpass the record set last year and has received 202 complaints so far. What’s unclear, however, is if these complaints are truly software defects or due to user error.
Not all complaints result in recalls, but recalls are up nonetheless—by 45 percent between 2014 and 2015. J.D. Power found that 189 software-related recalls were issued in the last five years. Of those recalls, 141 had the potential to cause an accident, while another 44 could’ve led to injury. Even more troubling is the fact that half of those recalled vehicles have not been fixed and are still on the road today.
Also on the rise are software-related Technical Service Bulletins. TSBs are essentially issued by the manufacturer when it receives a high volume of complaints that aren’t serious enough to warrant a recall. TSBs are sent to dealers with instructions on how to fix the issue. J.D. Power found software-related TSBs averaged 160 per year from 2011 to 2015, up from the 58 per year issued between 2006 and 2010.
Source: USA Today, J.D. Power and Associates
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