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J.D. Power and Associates Reports: High Incidence of Reported Problems Indicates Continued Owner Frustrations with Vehicle Navigation Systems


PHOTO

The Garmin Navigation System Supplied to the Dodge Charger Ranks Highest in Satisfaction Among Factory-Installed Navigation Systems

PR Newswire

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Nov. 22, 2011 -- Vehicle owners are continuing to experience a high number of problems with factory-installed navigation systems, primarily with routing quality and system usability, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Navigation Usage and Satisfaction Study(SM) released today.

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Now in its 13th year, the study identifies six factors that contribute to overall satisfaction with factory-installed navigation systems. In order of importance, they are: ease of use; routing; navigation display screen; speed of system; voice directions; and voice recognition. The study also measures quality by examining problems per 100 (PP100) navigation systems, in which a lower score reflects higher quality.

On average, owners of factory-installed navigation systems experienced 351 PP100 in 2011. The eight most-frequently reported issues, which account for more than 50 percent of problems reported overall, are:

  • Address/street/city not found (33 PP100)
  • Difficulty inputting destination (32 PP100)
  • Route provided was not direct (24 PP100)
  • Difficulty using voice recognition controls (23 PP100)
  • Map doesn't show enough street names (21 PP100)
  • Couldn't find desired menu/screen (19 PP100)
  • Map or point of interest search was missing points of interest (16 PP100)
  • Inability to view screen due to glare (14 PP100)

"Routing—the primary function of a navigation system—is obviously an issue and will continue to be," said Andy Bernhard, director at J.D. Power and Associates. "However, for nearly 10 years, the importance of ease of use has been emphasized by owners, and the continued high level of problems in this area begs the question: is the industry listening to how owners want to interact with their system?"

The study finds that system usability is one of the biggest contributors to problem incidence, with nearly one-third of reported problems related to ease of use of the navigation system. Furthermore, the trend toward integrating the controls of different systems in the vehicle, including audio, climate control and phone, only adds to the ease-of-use issues that owners experience with their navigation system. For instance, among those owners who consider their multimedia system's menu structure overall to be "not at all complex," the number of navigation system problems experienced is 243 PP100. However, among those who say the multimedia system interface is "very complex," the average number of problems is three times as high, at 735 PP100.

"There is a necessity in the industry to better understand how the complexity of interfaces and the implementation of navigation within the overall system impact the owner experience," said Bernhard. "Owners continue to demand a high level of technology, but it is through the integration of this technology into their day-to-day lives that both adoption and satisfaction will be influenced—and the industry continually appears to be missing the mark."

The Garmin system fitted to the Dodge Charger ranks highest in owner satisfaction with factory-installed navigation systems and performs particularly well in the navigation display screen, ease of use and speed of system factors. The Hyundai-Mobis navigation system supplied to the Hyundai Genesis Coupe follows in the rankings, and the Garmin system supplied to the Chrysler 300 series ranks third.

The 2011 U.S. Navigation Usage and Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 18,303 owners who recently purchased or leased new 2011 model-year vehicles with factory-installed navigation systems. The study was fielded in October 2011.

Supplier

Vehicle

Index
score

JDPower.com Power Circle
Ratings for Consumers

Garmin

Dodge Charger

767

5

Hyundai Mobis

Hyundai Genesis Coupe

761

5

Garmin

Chrysler 300 Series

760

5

Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Acura TSX Sedan

758

5

Harman

Audi S4 Sedan

754

5

Hyundai Mobis

Hyundai Elantra

754

5

Clarion

Ford Flex

750

5

 

 

 

 

Clarion

Ford Fusion

749

4

Clarion

Lincoln MKS

748

4

Hyundai Mobis

Hyundai Sonata

747

4

Pioneer

Acura TL

744

4

DENSO Corporation

Chevrolet Volt

743

4

DENSO Corporation

Buick LaCrosse

738

4

DENSO Corporation

Lexus RX 350

738

4

Clarion

Ford Taurus

738

4

DENSO Corporation

Lexus IS 250/IS 350/IS-F

738

4

Harman

Audi A4 Sedan

734

4

Clarion

Lincoln MKZ Hybrid

733

4

Harman

Audi A5 Coupe

729

4

Clarion

Infiniti FX-Series

728

4

Garmin

Dodge Durango - Garmin

726

4

Harman

Volkswagen Touareg

724

4

Garmin

Ram 1500 LD - Garmin

723

4

Harman

Hyundai Genesis Sedan - Harman

721

4

Garmin

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited - Garmin

719

4

Clarion

Infiniti QX56

717

4

DENSO Corporation

Lexus ES 350

716

4

Clarion

Ford Expedition

714

4

 

 

 

 

Technisat

Volkswagen GTI 4dr Hatchback

712

3

Hyundai Mobis

Hyundai Tucson

711

3

Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Honda Odyssey

711

3

Clarion

Infiniti G37 Sedan

708

3

Hyundai Mobis

Hyundai Santa Fe

707

3

DENSO Corporation

Cadillac SRX

704

3

Garmin

Chrysler 200 Sedan - Garmin

704

3

Garmin

Jeep Grand Cherokee - Garmin

702

3

Harman

Audi Q7

702

3

DENSO Corporation

Land Rover Range Rover Sport

700

3

Technisat

Volkswagen Jetta Sedan

700

3

Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Acura MDX

698

3

DENSO Corporation

Lexus RX 450h

698

3

Harman

Audi Q5

696

3

Clarion

Nissan Altima Sedan

696

3

Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Acura RDX

696

3

 

Study Average

695

3

DENSO Corporation

Toyota Camry

695

3

Technisat

Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen

694

3

Clarion

Infiniti M-Series

692

3

Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Honda Pilot

690

3

Technisat

Volkswagen Tiguan - Technisat

689

3

MELCO

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

687

3

MELCO

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan

685

3

Clarion

Nissan Murano

685

3

Garmin

Chrysler Town & Country - Garmin

684

3

DENSO Corporation

Toyota 4Runner

680

3

DENSO Corporation

Toyota Highlander

680

3

MELCO

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Convertible

679

3

Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Honda CR-V

676

3

DENSO Corporation

Land Rover LR4

673

3

Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Honda CR-Z

669

3

Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Honda Accord

664

3

 

 

 

 

DENSO Corporation

Toyota Avalon

659

2

Bosch

Nissan Rogue

657

2

DENSO Corporation

Toyota Camry Hybrid

655

2

Clarion

Nissan Leaf

655

2

DENSO Corporation

Toyota Prius

654

2

MELCO

Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class

654

2

Harman

Ram 2500/3500 HD - Harman

652

2

TeleNav

Ford Explorer

651

2

TeleNav

Ford Edge

651

2

DENSO Corporation

Jaguar XF

649

2

DENSO Corporation

Mazda CX-9

648

2

DENSO Corporation

Toyota Sienna

639

2

DENSO Corporation

Volvo XC60

638

2

Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Mercedes-Benz M-Class

630

2

Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class

618

2

Alpine Electronics, Inc.

Jaguar XJ

617

2

MELCO

Volvo XC90

614

2

TeleNav

Lincoln MKX

612

2

DENSO Corporation

Toyota RAV4

591

2

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company providing forecasting, performance improvement, social media and customer satisfaction insights and solutions. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies
McGraw-Hill is a leading global financial information and education company that helps professionals and students succeed in the Knowledge Economy. Leading brands include Standard & Poor's, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Indices, Platts energy information services and McGraw-Hill Education. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2010, the Corporation has approximately 21,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. On September 12, 2011, the Corporation announced its intention to separate into two public companies – McGraw-Hill Markets (working name), primarily focused on global capital and commodities markets and McGraw-Hill Education focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

J.D. Power and Associates Media Relations Contacts:
John Tews; Troy, Mich.; (248) 312-4119; media.relations@jdpa.com

Syvetril Perryman; Westlake Village, Calif.; (805) 418-8103; media.relations@jdpa.com

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate

SOURCE J.D. Power and Associates

Web Site: http://www.jdpower.com