Cars and Drivers

Fiat Chrysler Brands Hammered in New Dependability Study

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: February 22, 2017 12:00 pm

Last Updated: January 12, 2020 2:36 pm

The highly regarded J.D. Power 2017 Vehicle Dependability Study has been released. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (NYSE: FCAU) brands take up four of the bottom five spots, among a total of 33 brands measured. No Fiat Chrysler brand scored above the industry average.

The J.D. Power measure is based on problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners of 2014 model-year vehicles:

Overall dependability is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality. The study covers 177 specific problems grouped into eight major vehicle categories.

The industry average was 156. The two top brands, Porsche and Lexus, which is the Toyota luxury brand, posted scores of 110.

The brand that fared the worst in the study by far was Fiat. It registered a score of 298. The next worst brand, also a Fiat Chrysler model, was Jeep at 209. Nissan’s Infinity followed at 203, then Fiat Chrysler’s Dodge at 187 and the Fiat Chrysler pickup brand Ram, which scored 183. Only the Chrysler brand did relatively well, with a score of 159, still below the industry average.

Methodology: The 2017 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from 35,186 original owners of 2014 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. The study was fielded from October through December 2016.