One of the most common questions WhichCar by Wheels gets from readers relates specifically to the amount and complexity technology in modern cars, and the likelihood of it ceasing to work as advertised. Well, wildly complex vehicles have been on the road for some time now, and the results are starting to come in.

The latest United States Vehicle Dependability Study by JD Power has illustrated that features and technology designed to make our driving lives easier might in fact be having the opposite effect. Along with a rapid advancement in the inclusion of on-board technology, there’s also been a higher than ever level of report issues with that same technology.

JD Power reported its third consecutive year of falling dependability results and in its sights as a cause is technology. Four of the top five issues reported were directly linked to mobile phone connectivity, with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay ranking as the single highest issue for the third year running. Bluetooth issues, wireless charging pads that don’t work and specific app reliability also featured highly.

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Interestingly, 40 per cent of owners surveyed reported the installation of a software update within the last 12 months of ownership, but also reported no difference of note after the update was completed.

Digging further into the findings illustrates that problems have increased across all types of electrified powertrain types, with PHEV remaining the most problematic of any type in the study.

Problems among full-electric and hybrid vehicles also increased while traditional internal-combustion vehicles improved slightly to rank as the least problematic among all powertrains.

Keeping in mind the study is US-based, Lexus came out on top followed by Buick, Mazda, Toyota and Cadillac in the top five. The results weren’t so good for Ford, Audi, Jeep, Volvo and Volkswagen however, which occupied places in the bottom 10 from 21st to 30th. Concerningly, given the price premium owners are expected to pay, luxury brands performed worse in the study, compared to more affordable mainstream rivals in regard to reliability.

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JD Power Top 10, US vehicle dependability (brand ranking – problems per 100 vehicles)

  1. Lexus (151)
  2. Buick (160)
  3. MINI (168)
  4. Cadillac (175)
  5. Chevrolet (178)
  6. Subaru (181)
  7. Porsche (182)
  8. Kia (193)
  9. Nissan (194)
  10. BMW (198)