Jump to content
Create New...
  • William Maley
    William Maley

    Harris Poll Shows A Good Amount Of People Still Think American Vehicle Are Poor Quality

    William Maley

    Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

    August 9, 2012

    Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors have been making great strides in quality. J.D. Power and Associates' recent Vehicle Dependability Study saw Buick, Ford, and Lincoln above the industry average. Also, Cadillac, GMC, Chevrolet, and Ram trucks all ranked above average in J.D. Power's Initial Quality Study.

    However, there is still many people who view these three as inferior vehicles. A new poll from Harris Interactive says that out of 2,634 U.S. adults, 35% said they find the quality of american vehicles to be inferior to imports. The poll also found that 24% of adults find imports to be inferior and 42% find quality to be the same.

    Part of this comes from certain studies which place most american vehicles below the industry average. Also, the wording Harris used in the question has us wondering. The company asked people what they thought about the quality "American made vehicles" - which would lead many, but not all, people to assume Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors.

    Source: Kicking Tires

    William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    I have to agree with the "misleading wording" statement...most people probably think American brands, but my Nissan and Jeep were both built here in the US...then again, also Mexico and Canada are "American" locations technically...if you want a better study, ask a better question

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    You'd think 30 MILLION recalled toyotas & lexuses would have turned the tide already.

    Not for the True Believers and Consumer Reports readers...

    Don't we already have one recently ranting in the Saab thread? The guy did not even know who the Corolla competitor of GM was and yet was convinced the 11 year old car was better!

    GM's problem is indeed perception; this report just confirms it.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    I've found plenty of junkiness with the hondas and toyotas I try to work with lately. 09 corolla, wouldn't start today..... hondas with junk navs, blown trannies....

    Toyota and Honda Quality is really down. Woman I work with had a CRV that wasn't grreat, she traded it on a Chrysler Minivan and loves the Chrysler.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    You'd think 30 MILLION recalled toyotas & lexuses would have turned the tide already.

    Not for the True Believers and Consumer Reports readers...

    Don't we already have one recently ranting in the Saab thread? The guy did not even know who the Corolla competitor of GM was and yet was convinced the 11 year old car was better!

    GM's problem is indeed perception; this report just confirms it.

    And the only cure is getting people into GM cars to see for themselves.

    • Agree 1
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Only way to change this perception is to get people into the auto's. Since many do not like going to dealerships, it would make sense to take some auto's to the local busy park so people can check out the auto's and test drive them.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    Toyota and Honda both had recalls... however, to the owners of these cars, the problems got fixed for free. Its a black eye, but it didn't hit the Toyota and Honda owners in the pocket book (at least not directly... perhaps some lost resale value). GM's quality problems bit people in the ass on things that failed that weren't covered by recalls, warranty or by GM weaseling out of fixing the problem on their dime.

    Also, remember, most GM aficionados did not desert GM after one problem car... but after car after car of problems. Lets say the quality started becoming an issue in the early '70s... it was 1984 when the Japanese cars really started making inroads... thats 15 years of quality problems before switching... depending on how long people kept their cars, that 3-6 cars. Obviously, a lot of GM people didn't leave until GM continued shooting themselves in the foot with more brain damaged ideas and problems. Realistically, Toyota and Honda are going to need to put out at least a decade of bad cars before getting a GM-like bad rep... though some would argue that they are well on their way, I'm not so sure (at least in the eyes of the T&H owners).

    • Agree 1
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites

    That Harris poll correctly points out one thing: perception lags reality by at least a decade. A LOT of Baby Boomers Hate GM and have never forgiven GM for what they saw in those cars back in the 70s and the 80s (and at times the 90s). Once those generations of cars are completely gone (which may happen sooner than we all think), things may change. More importantly, Honda and Toyota will have to fall off quite a bit for at least 15 years before any real change happens in perceptions. The worst part is that Hyundai and Ford may end up being the biggest beneficiaries of all this in the medium to long term. When CR starts listing failures in Honda/Toyota/Nissan products consistently over a number of years, then we know times have changed.

    Then again, the question will be moot if Europe implodes and GM is taken down by that comatose market.

    • Agree 1
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites



    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • google-news-icon.png



  • Community Hive Community Hive

    Community Hive allows you to follow your favorite communities all in one place.

    Follow on Community Hive
  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Posts

    • At the New York Auto Show this week, Hyundai unveiled the 2025 Hyundai Tuscon.  This mild refresh modernizes the Tuscon and brings it more into alignment with the rest of the Hyundai lineup, including their EVs. The exterior styling updates, largely consisting of a front fascia update, are subtle. Inside, Hyundai made the interior more open and airy with a new, lower-height dashboard featuring a panoramic gauge and infotainment screen. The screens consist of twin 12.3-inch displays with crisper colors and graphics, as well as faster processing speeds.  While the screens can control all functions of the car, Hyundai still included physical buttons for the most frequently used controls.  Wireless Android Auto and Apple Carplay are now standard across the line. A new steering wheel features a much more open design, and on premium trims, the gear selector is now an electronically controlled stalk on the right side of the wheel, much like in the Hyundai Ioniq 6. On some Tuscon models, a new 12-inch color heads-up display with premium graphics is available, and for the first time, navigation directions from Apple Carplay and Android Auto will appear in the display. Proximity key with push button start is now standard across the 2025 Hyundai Tuscon lineup, while an available Digital Key 2 allows for fob-free driving and access via the driver's mobile phone. For 2025, Tucson adds Forward Attention Warning, which utilizes an infrared camera mounted on the steering column to help track the driver’s eye gaze and monitor attention levels to help ensure safe driving. Available Smart Cruise Control 2 continually assesses driver alertness. If the driver is found to be unresponsive, the system can even help safely bring the vehicle to a stop, activating the hazard lights and the electronic parking brake once the vehicle is stopped. Additionally, rear outboard passenger seatbelts now feature standard pretensioners and load limiters. The powertrains largely carry over from the previous model with a standard 187-horsepower 2.5-liter 4-cylinder at the entry level end. Also available is a 1.6-liter turbocharged hybrid with 231 horsepower with a slightly more powerful electric drive unit (47.7-kW, up from 44.2-kW), and a 6-speed automatic transmission. The plug-in hybrid model features the same 1.6-liter unit, but now paired with a larger electric drive unit with 72.0-kW of output rather than the 66.9-kW motor from the prior year. The plug-in hybrid boasts 268-horspower total system power. With a 13.4-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the 2025 Hyundai Tucson plug-in hybrid takes less than 2 hours to charge on a level 2 charger.  All hybrid models come standard with all-wheel drive. 2025 Tucson 2.5L models will arrive at U.S. dealerships in June, while 1.6L turbo hybrid and plug-in hybrid models will be available late summer. View full article
    • Plastic cladding = off road.  Instead of killing the Sonata, they should just put plastic body cladding down the side and raise the price by $10k and call it the Sonata HD Overlander X.  Instant hit.
  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search

Change privacy settings