Kenworth Ranks Highest in Medium-Duty Conventional Truck and Dealer Service Satisfaction; Hino Ranks Highest in Cab-Over Truck Satisfaction for Fourth Consecutive Year
New Emission Requirements, Problematic Product Launches Have Negative Impact on Truck Satisfaction
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Jan. 9 -- Kenworth Truck Company ranks highest in customer satisfaction among conventional cab medium-duty trucks, as well as for dealer service satisfaction, while Hino Trucks leads in the cab-over segment for a fourth consecutive year, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2005 Medium-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study(SM).
The study, which is based on responses from more than 1,800 primary maintainers of two-year-old medium-duty trucks (Classes 5, 6 and 7), analyzes customer satisfaction across a number of important factors, including vehicle performance, product quality, interior and exterior design, dealer service, dealer parts and manufacturer images.
Kenworth ranks highest in the conventional truck segment, performing significantly above average on each of the six factors that influence medium-duty vehicle satisfaction. Those factors are (in order of importance): vehicle quality; engine; transmission; ride, handling and braking; cab interior; and exterior design and styling.
Represented by the T300, Kenworth is one of two conventional manufacturers in the study to improve its score compared to the 2004 study. Peterbilt, Sterling and Freightliner follow Kenworth in the segment rankings, with each make performing significantly better than the industry average.
Hino ranks highest in the cab-over segment for a fourth consecutive year. Hino performs well across all six satisfaction factors, with vehicle quality and cab interior among its greatest competitive strengths.
Overall, satisfaction for medium-duty trucks declines significantly from 2004, driven by considerably lower satisfaction among the conventional truck owners. While six of the eight ranked conventional manufacturers experienced a year-over-year decline in satisfaction, GMC Trucks and Chevrolet -- which together account for one-fourth of the conventional trucks in the study -- drive the downward change. GMC Trucks, who had the fewest problems reported by owners in the 2004 study, and Chevrolet introduced a variety of new models in the 2003 model year that experienced a higher-than-average number of problems and number of days the trucks were in the shop for repairs.
"It's common for new models to have quality issues during their launch year," said Brian Etchells, research manager in the commercial vehicle group at J.D. Power and Associates. "But manufacturers have to be concerned because truck downtime translates directly into increased costs and lost revenue for truck owners, so quality has a large impact on satisfaction."
"When customer satisfaction declines, so does owner loyalty. With the medium-duty truck market being very competitive, even a small decline in repurchase intent can have a big impact on a manufacturer's bottom line."
Seven of the eight manufacturers ranked in the conventional index record declines in engine satisfaction, with owners giving lower ratings for both the quality and performance aspects of their engines. The decline in engine satisfaction may be attributable to the introduction of new technology installed in many of the 2003 model year vehicles to meet strict new government regulations that lowered emissions at the end of 2002.
"With the introduction of the new low-emission technology engines in both the heavy- and medium-duty markets, we've seen a marked increase in engine problems and a decline in satisfaction with engine performance," Etchells said. "Many of the engine suppliers in the heavy-duty market also compete in the conventional medium-duty industry, and employ similar technology in their mid-range engines."
In terms of dealer service satisfaction, Kenworth ranks highest for a second consecutive year, with industry-leading scores on five of the seven factors of satisfaction. Dealer service satisfaction is measured using seven key factors (in order of importance): dealer attitude; service delivery process; service quality; price of service; service facility; service initiation; and service advisor.
Ford, International and Peterbilt, respectively, follow Kenworth in the service satisfaction rankings.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
