TrueDelta Updates Latest Reliability Stats

by Michael Karesh

February 20th, 2014 12:22 PM

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truedelta updates latest reliability stats

TrueDelta has updated its car reliability stats to cover all of 2013, making them about eight months ahead of other sources. A new set of statistics includes only powertrain and chassis repairs—the systems needed for a car to be drivable. Stats for electric vehicles, including the Tesla Model S, are especially noteworthy with this update.

The average 2013 model required 27 repair trips per 100 cars during 2013. When you consider that this statistic includes even minor repairs, such as those for rattles, the average car today is very reliable. The averages for 2008 and 2003 model year cars were 44 and 73, respectively. Even ten-year-old cars aren’t averaging one repair trip per year.

Some car owners only consider repairs that render a car undrivable to be worthy of concern. With this update TrueDelta has released a second set of statistics that include only powertrain and chassis repairs. These are only about one-third of the total for 2013 models. Powertrain and chassis repairs are rare during the warranty period. But such repairs increase as cars age to become 64 percent of the total for 2008s and 75 percent of the total for 2003s.

With the Prius, Toyota has demonstrated that hybrids (and, by extension, electric cars) can be highly reliable. And at first the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf required few repairs. With the 2013s, though, both suffer from new common problems, the Volt with its charge port door and the Leaf with its battery charging system.

The Tesla Model S has scored very well on at least one prominent reliability survey. In TrueDelta’s latest stats, though, it has the worst score of any 2013 by a wide margin, 109 repair trips per 100 cars per year, about four times the average. The sample size was a few cars below the usual minimum, but this score is so high that even a sample size twice as large could not have yielded even a middling score. In Tesla’s defense, nearly all of the reported problems were minor–wind noise, rattles, a click in the steering–and owners report outstanding service quality. For these reasons it is not surprising that the car has scored much better on surveys that ask owners to only report “problems you considered serious.”

These problems with the Model S could only affect early cars, and even these only during the first year of ownership. With prompt, quarterly updates, TrueDelta’s Car Reliability Survey will track the Model S and other car models closely as they age. When a car company reacts quickly, the reliability of its products can improve dramatically in well under a year.

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Michael Karesh

Michael Karesh lives in West Bloomfield, Michigan, with his wife and three children. In 2003 he received a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. While in Chicago he worked at the National Opinion Research Center, a leader in the field of survey research. For his doctoral thesis, he spent a year-and-a-half inside an automaker studying how and how well it understood consumers when developing new products. While pursuing the degree he taught consumer behavior and product development at Oakland University. Since 1999, he has contributed auto reviews to Epinions, where he is currently one of two people in charge of the autos section. Since earning the degree he has continued to care for his children (school, gymnastics, tae-kwan-do...) and write reviews for Epinions and, more recently, The Truth About Cars while developing TrueDelta, a vehicle reliability and price comparison site.

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LeadHead on Feb 21, 2014

I see Chrysler is still struggling to get Jeep Grand Cherokee problems under control. I'm guessing the majority of issues are related to the radio and air suspension still.

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- Michael Karesh on Feb 21, 2014
  
  Radio. Somehow the updates for 2014 created a slew of electrical issues in quite a few vehicles. One recent report: "Many electrical faults: camera glitches, lock/trunk button don't work consistently, seat memory shuts off radio, trans shifted rough(only issue here fixed). Radio unit was replaced. All issues persist. Was in shop for 15 days."
  
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Mikey on Feb 21, 2014

Michael.....I have a lot going on in my life. I've bought and sold cars, and forgot my user name, and pass word. I would like to get back on track with True Delta. I think you have my E mail? Thanks

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- Michael Karesh on Feb 21, 2014
  
  I need more information to identify your account. Please get in touch with me through the contact link at the bottom of any page of the site.
  
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