Newest (2014) J.D. Power Dependability Study is out. For a luxury brand, Jaguar needs to improve.

1. Lexus 10. Infiniti
2. Mercedes-Benz 11. BMW
3. Cadillac 12. Subaru
4. Acura 13. Chevrolet
5. Buick 14. Jaguar
6. Honda 15. Mazda
7. Lincoln 16. GMC
8. Toyota
9. Porsche


SORRY CANNOT GET THIS TO LINE-UP CORRECTLY

 

I'd like to see more detail on what the issue were.

 

(2014) J.D. Power Dependability Study

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: Owners of 3-year-old vehicles (2011 model year) report more problems than did owners of 3-year-old vehicles last year, according to the J.D. Power 2014 U.S. Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS) released today.

The study, now in its 25th year, examines problems experienced during the past 12 months by original owners of 2011 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 finds that overall vehicle dependability averages 133 PP100, a 6 percent increase in problems from 126 PP100 in 2013. This marks the first time since the 1998 study that the average number of problems has increased.

"Until this year, we have seen a continual improvement in vehicle dependability," said David Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power. "However, some of the changes that automakers implemented for the 2011 model year have led to a noticeable increase in problems reported."

The 2014 Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from more than 41,000 original owners of 2011 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. The study was fielded between October and December 2013.

 

I take it this is different than the "Initial Quality" ranking.

It doesn't surprise me, my Jag has had its fair share of issues. The electrical gremlins are pretty common if you don't have a battery maintainer hooked up whenever you aren't driving it, and I doubt the non-enthusiast owner would realize this.

 

Totally, agree with the above.

Such a simple device can solve so many problems with these cars.

 

I recall reading some owner reviews of the XK and while every single one praised the absolute pleasure of driving it, almost all the negative comments could be traced back to a problem caused by an inadequately charged battery. What I've never been able to grasp is why this is unique to the Jaguar. Other cars have the same toys/options/computers as a Jag, so what is different. My Lexus often sits for a month or more when I'm in Florida during winter months, yet it jumps alive when called on. With the Jag, you're pushing your luck if you leave it for a week or more. There's got to be a design flaw somewhere in the car that's causing this.

 

It is findings such as these that contribute to why our cars suffer from such steep depreciation.

 

IMO, there is literally no excuse for this. The Jag shouldn't be any more complicated than other comparable luxury cars (your Lexus, for example), and may even be less sophisticated in many respects.

Just because there is a workaround (tethering your car to your house every night) doesn't mean that it's not a serious problem. This isn't a damn plug-in hybrid, but many owners have to end up treating them like one...

 

My feelings exactly. The only semi-comparable luxury brands lower than Jaguar are Audi & Volvo - enough said. No doubt Jaguars are better than they were a decade or two ago (kind of in the modern era), but that's not good enough. In the 2011 model dependability to be ranked even with Chevrolet should be a embarrassment. I absolutely love my XK coupe, and haven't had but a couple of problems (much less than the XK8) but to have to hook it up to a battery tender to make certain it starts after a couple of weeks or even a month is not right. Lexus & Mercedes have complicated electronics and look where they rate. I do believe this kind of rating does hurt sales and the resale value. Since I buy Jags new, I get hammered by that. I've got a 19 year old Lexus SC owned since new and has never failed to start even if it was left parked (outside for the last decade) for well over a month. I know, I know it doesn't have the technology of the XK - but still.

 

I do find it a wee bit puzzling that Lexus would be rated #1 and Toyota #9. Lexus isn't even a brand name in Japan. They're all Toyotas.

 

Is that right? I go to japan a lot and I always see lexuseseses there. But they do have a lot of big Toyota limos there that are actually pretty nice when you get in one.


But back to Jag, no wonder they have issues. The XF had a lot of initial issues (08 and 09, but they seemed to be under control by about 2 years in) then since then they've brought out 2 all new models (XJ and F-type) each with their own issues typical of a new model (though I haven't seen much about the f-type) as well as multiple new engines, 3 litreTTD, 3 litre 6 supercharged; 2 litre TTD, 2 litre petrol T, 5 litre NA, 5 litre supercharged. And each engine has plenty of sensors, plenty of things to go wrong. I liked the old days, a 5.8 litre Cleveland engine, you could see plenty of free space under the hood, if something went wrong you went to a guy with grease on his overalls, not someone who dresses better than me and connects the car to the internet. But then the 5.8 isn't particularly fast, in today's terms...(rant over)

 

Here is a chart of the J.D. Power 2011 model dependability rankings just released: Lexus is leaving the others in the dust. I believe that even-though Lexus is part of Toyota, they have some models that are completely different from Toyota. Lexus has a lot of rear wheel drive models though they share some components like a few engines, transmissions etc. Also maybe the way Lexus handles customer complaints comes into play. I'd be pretty satisfied if Jaguar could get to the rank of Toyota.

 

I have a 2011 XJL which I bought new. I think that it's this car which gave us a low ranking because of the well known "Cracking roof noise" that took Jaguar a year to fix correctly. That is the only problem I've had with this car although a big problem. It's been fixed. As for my 2012 XKR no problems what so ever.

 

yeah, I had the creaking roof in my first XF, it took a few goes to fix it but then it developed a crack in the roof near the sunroof. But no problems after year 2, the second XF had zero issues (save needing a baffle in the tank), and the XKR has been brilliant although it exposes my driving inadequacies.

 

I have read with interest about all of the battery problems in the xks and xkrs. In my 08 xk I did have the battery replaced by the dealer, but it was at their recommendation. I had not suffered an outage. With the 2012, I have not had a problem. Since owning the 12 I have made several trips where the car has sat unattended anywhere from 6 up to 18 days. And I have never had an issue.

Granted, the car is my daily driver and I am on the freeways at least four days, if not more, per week. I average about 1100 miles per month which includes two to three road trips of 500 - 1000 miles round trip per year. I have not had a major issue of any type with this car and if memory serves, no more than 1 - 3 minor issues in the two years I have been driving it. It is the best quality Jaguar out of the many that I have owned/driven these last 40+ years.

 

The random nature of the symptoms related to battery issues (warning lights, various components inoperative or badly operative, etc.)- all of which seem serious to the owner (but are not) and which at the very least are inconvenient - this is likely the reason for the (relatively) low rating for Jaguar. They seem like separate issues, but they are really only ONE issue: the fact that the cars need constant full voltage from the battery. If owners understood this, they would likely say that their Jag has had just ONE problem. Or NO problems if they use the car regularly. None of this explains, however, why this issue has not been properly addressed. The current crop of Jaguars are amazingly reliable IF you keep the battery at full voltage (easy to do with a maintainer, but should it be necessary?)

 

we beat mazda...haha...zoom zoom!

 

Just to add to your point on Mercedes, I had an 05 SL500 and it had the same problems as far as battery drain while sitting for extended periods but the difference with the SL vs the XKR is the SL has two batteries and the one that had the drain problem was referred to as the "convenience" battery. This battery ran every component in the car except one, the starter. The other battery ran the starter only so you never had a problem with the car not starting but if I didn't drive the car for a week I couldn't put the top down until I drove 10 minutes until the convenience battery had enough charge to run the bigger drain items. This conversation occurred over and over on the two biggest forums in the US. So my point is, the Jag is not isolated here.

 

I am truly amazed that most articles and individuals on this forum point the blame at battery problems,blah blah blah, and not the owner. Complicated machines need to be operated by individuals who possess a great deal of critical thought capability and mechanical ability. I would no more think I could fly the space shuttle if I wasnt familiar with its mechanicals and potential problems and how to fix them

 

If I was restricted to operating something that I could repair, I wouldn't even be able to ride a bicycle.


I'm full of admiration for those who are handy with these things, but I'm not one of them. Wrapping bits of the interior is probably the pinnacle of my achievements, and my wife was mightily amazed that I managed to do that.