Since about 2009, I’ve driven somewhere between 20-100 different vehicles every year. Many of those are new, with a mixture of cars loaned to me by automakers and rental vehicles. The most obvious thing to me over roughly 16 years of trying to drive everything is not that cars are better, it’s that they’re buggier.
Are the cars better? Some cars are better. There are more advanced driving features that make them safer for people inside the cars, which is good. There are also more distractions that make cars more dangerous for people outside the car, which is bad. With those features comes a lot of bugginess. There’s new data out to support my anecdotal experience that newer cars are having reliability issues across the board.
The Morning Dump, as an institution, has been a little bit on the side of Honda and Nissan merging, if only because it seemed like the best way for Nissan to survive. That might still happen, but until it does, the company would like to remind people it’s still alive and has a plan for the future.
Rivian has continued to generate slightly more buzz than actual sales, so it’s not a surprise to me that the company will also be getting into the micromobility space. Sorry, Also will be getting into the micromobility space. Confused by that sentence? Me too.
And, finally, most tariffs on vehicles might not happen, but a suddenly shaky car market is already impacting suppliers.
J.D. Power Says Three-Year Vehicle Quality Is The Worst It’s Been Since The Great Recession
Do you remember 2009? I’m realizing there are some readers here young enough that 2009 is smack dab in the middle of their childhoods. The best way I can describe it is that everyone was worried they’d never get a job again or be able to retire. Yet, even with these big existential problems, a lot of those same people were fixated on whether or not a guy named Sufjan would make an indie rock album about Delaware.
Wild times.
It was also the last time that vehicle reliability, as measured by the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study, was this bad, with an average of 202 problems per 100 vehicles after three years of ownership. That’s not great! It’s a 6% increase in problems over last year and shows the industry is headed in the wrong direction.
Some of this is probably pandemic-related, J.D. Power notes in the company’s press release, as supply shortages and other issues caused all sorts of “major disruptions” to the manufacturing process. While none of that helped, there’s got to be more to it than that, and the “more to it” is software.
Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity remains the top problem in the industry for a second consecutive year, increasing to 8.4 PP100 from 6.3 PP100 in 2024. Built-in Bluetooth systems (4.6 PP100) and Wi-Fi (2.4 PP100) are also among the top problems related to software defects this year. While software defects comprise only 9% of the total problems owners experience, as vehicles become more software-reliant, this risk becomes more prominent.
It’s so common on new cars to have smartphone interface issues that it’s not even worth writing about them most of the time. To some degree, almost every new car I drive will have a CarPlay connectivity issue or other bug occur at least once during the week. My new Honda CR-V will sometimes decide CarPlay doesn’t exist for no reason.
Teslas were some of the first “software-defined” vehicles in which the digital experience became as important as the physical experience. I don’t think that would have been possible at Tesla’s scale without over-the-air updates. OTA is now far more widespread and allows automakers to address these issues without having to drag a car into a shop, which is both expensive and annoying for customers.
Software is complicated, and automakers often rely on too many suppliers to be able to control, or even necessarily understand, how every device is going to interact with their products. It’s a problem.
Looking at the list of brands ranked by dependability, it’s interesting to see Buick almost approaching Lexus-levels in 2025. Not far behind are the other GM brands, which is an impressive accomplishment for the automaker. Unsurprisingly, Stellantis brands and Volkswagen brands are right at the bottom, doing worse even than Land Rover.
Ford managed to sneak up almost to the average, below Honda and ahead of Infiniti and Tesla. The most entertaining one here? Subaru now ranks below Alfa Romeo.
Nissan: We’re Not Dead Yet!
Nissan’s new CEO wasted no time, coming out today with a preview of the company’s product portfolio that he thinks will help bring the company back from the brink of a forced merger with Honda. You’ve already seen the new Nissan Leaf, but wait, there’s more. Roll out the pork loin attachment, Ron Popeil!
In FY26, production of the all-new, fourth-generation Rogue will begin. The model will be the first to offer Nissan’s innovative e-POWER technology to consumers in the U.S. and Canada. Nissan will also offer Rogue with a powerful and efficient internal combustion engine, as well as a plug-in hybrid model, providing a diverse range of powertrains to shine in the market’s most popular vehicle segment.
The company has been making its own version of hybrid tech, called e-POWER, for two generations in Europe and Japan. This system is focused on the kind of low-speed city driving that people in Europe and Japan are used to, meaning it’s not quite right for the American market. It sounds like this is going to be fixed soon:
The third-generation e-POWER system delivers notable improvements in efficiency where it is targeted to provide up to 15% enhancement in economy at high speeds compared to the current, second-generation system. It will also deliver lower emissions and enhanced refinement through reduced noise and vibration.
A unique Nissan technology, e-POWER uses a small capacity gasoline engine and lithium-ion battery to power an electric motor. As the electric motor alone drives the wheels, the result is an EV-like driving experience, characterized by powerful and responsive acceleration paired with quiet operation.
In the interim, the Nissan Rogue will get a PHEV option borrowed from its platform-mate Mitsubishi Outlander.
Is this enough to save the company? It’s unclear, and new CEO Ivan Espinosa has expressed an interest in still partnering with Honda, so I guess that’s not dead yet.
Rivian’s New Scooter Business Is Called ‘Also’
I recently went to Cooperstown to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which is just as incredible as you want it to be if you’re a baseball fan. Right before the gift shop, as my daughter was starting to fade, was a bench with a button you could press to play you the entire Abbott & Costello “Who’s On First” routine. It’s never not funny.
Also, that’s what Rivian named its new micromobility company. Sorry, not “Who’s on first.” They named it Also. Who named it? They did. What’s it called? Also. Also what?
These days, it’s not at all uncommon to hear automakers talk about evolving into “mobility companies.” Many of them share a grand, but vague, vision to serve people’s transportation needs in ways that go beyond personal car ownership. The only problem is that these ambitious dreams of making small electric vehicles, scooters, e-bikes and more rarely move past the concept stage into things you can actually buy.
Now, however, EV upstart Rivian says it’s actually doing it. Today, executives announced the launch of Also, a new “electric micromobility company” that spun out of Rivian and aims to release a flagship product by 2026 that isn’t a car, but will help city-dwellers get around in other ways.
The world keeps reinventing the Honda City Turbo II because the Honda City Turbo II with the briefcase scooter was still society’s best idea.
Steel Maker Cleveland-Cliffs Will Layoff About 600 People This Summer
Where’s car production going this year? It’s unclear, but the steel company Cleveland-Cliffs assumes it isn’t going to get better fast enough to matter, according to this report in Automotive News:
Citing what it calls the “current reality of weak automotive production in the United States,” steel maker Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. plans a temporary idling of some operations at its plant near Detroit, resulting in the layoff of about 600 employees this summer.
Cliffs said in a statement sent to Crain’s Cleveland Business, an affiliate of Automotive News, that layoffs in the Dearborn, Mich., operations are expected to begin July 15 as the company temporarily idles the blast furnace, basic oxygen furnace steel shop and continuous casting facilities at the plant.
The twist here is that the company’s CEO is an outspoken supporter of the President, so the company made sure to add that:
We believe that, once President (Donald) Trump’s policies take full effect and automotive production is re-shored, we should be able to resume steel production at Dearborn Works.”
I’d love to hear a timeline for when that is.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
Laura Nyro week continues. Yesterday, I shared Elton John’s “Burn Down The Mission,” which includes a very Nyro-esque piano interlude. Ben Folds Five opens their breakout album Whatever And Ever, Amen with a full-on Nyro experience on the opening track “One Angry Dwarf And 200 Solemn Faces.” Watch as Ben Folds literally punches his piano. That’s the kind of Laura Nyro energy we want.
The Big Question
Do you own a car built in the last five years? Is it also buggy as hell?
Top photo: Volkswagen
For the most part I haven’t run into issues with the system in newer Hondas. Only the “now playing” art and title from the native playback display and in the instrument cluster can get stuck showing a song and doesn’t progress with the playlist/actual audio; it might be CarPlay-specific, because that screen is correct, so something hiccups in between the CarPlay and Honda systems. I have found shifting into reverse too quick after starting (at least in a manual) means the guidelines take a bit to catch up and show on the camera display.
Not impressed by the delay in wireless CarPlay, but it has worked fine. I had a rental Pacifica – older design, newer build – last month and I liked that it asked if I wanted to use ACP wired or wirelessly. But even wired, CarPlay rebooted twice in 30 minutes, and at least two other times during the trip when navigating. A shame because the screen was nice even if it held a tad too many functions. But at least it was responsive, unlike the Subaru super screen which I’ve only used once and that was all it took that I don’t think I could bear it day to day.
The infotainment in my 2018 Mk7.5 always worked great, makes it all the more silly they felt they should reinvent it in the newer products. Only issue I ran into was on rare occasion, the audio playback would cut out for second or so before continuing as normal.
I’ve got a ’23 Volvo C40 with AAOS. it’s not necessarily buggy but mostly slow and underpowered due to old CPU and/or low RAM. sometimes it’s takes a minute for the maps to fully load. A cpu upgrade would be something I would gladly pay for – which Volvo is going for MY25 cars.
If the bluetooth and wireless connections are the problem than just support wired only.
I have a ’24 Silverado that has been pretty problem free over the past 12 months, except for last week when it had an OTA update and the radio would stay on with the truck off and the doors open. Had a 2nd update 2 days later which fixed it.
The ’23 Colorado I had before this was terribly buggy! There was a blinking underscore in the top left corner of the screen (like on an old computer program) that never went away. One time I drove to the grocery store ~3 miles away and the backup camera stayed on the entire time.
’24 BRZ doesn’t even have 3k on it yet, but so far the infotainment has been perfect. Granted, it seems to be a barebones Toyota system running a Subaru skin, and it doesn’t hurt that I only use it for wired Apple Carplay.
I gush about this car a lot on here, but it really does have the perfect amount of tech in it.
Wife has a 22 Kia, Android Auto was buggy as hell for about six months and then everything magically started working without issue – guessing some over the air update solved the problem.
Now if only I could figure out why my 15 GMC has recently decided to tell me it’s playing Bluetooth audio when nothing is coming out of the speakers…
“It’s not a bug, it’s a feature!” I assume this has been said already but bears repeating.
’21 Volvo EV
’22 Ioniq 5
’17 GTI
I’m basically guilty of Stockholm Syndrome at this point.
I bought a ’17 GTI Sport new, and indeed, the only issues I ever had with the thing were with the infotainment in the four years I owned it. At the time, I used AA and it worked OK, but CarPlay with friend’s phones was extremely hit-or-miss. Zero problems with the rest of the car in four years though, and I regret deeply that I sold it to Carana at the peak of their madness.
I had a new Volvo XC60 last week for a rental that had an interface designed by idiots.
My CX-30 is a 2022, and the only issues I’ve had with it at all have been CarPlay related, and only since upgrading to the current iOS which has been far too buggy on the phone itself, which leads me to believe it’s an Apple issue not a Mazda one. Otherwise, my CX-30 has been genuinely without fault. Everyone likes to dunk on Mazda’s no-touch screen interface, but there’s something to be said about a non-touch, click-wheel controlled interface being more reliable.
Agreed. I have a 2023 Mazda 3 and the infotainment hasn’t sucked.
I had a CX-50 rental recently and can confirm, the click wheel is possibly the best interface design. I especially liked it with Android Auto for Maps, because you could crank the wheel full left or right and know exactly where it would end up. It made getting to desired location easier. I only had 4 days with it and I was fully onboard, I imagine you get even better with more time.
Yep you do get better, you get used to individual apps that you frequent to the point of muscle memory, and jogging the wheel up/down/left/right also works as a snap function, so it’s a breeze to navigate. The only issue I’ve had since updating my iphone to the current iOS, is sometimes the clickwheel doesn’t work at all, even though it’s fine in non-Carplay apps. Unplugging my phone and plugging it back in and it fixes it every time. This is still a massive improvement over my former Mk7.5 Sportwagen that would frequently refuse point blank to load carplay in any capacity.
Ok so it’s not just me. My Mazda6 has done this lately, too – where the click wheel doesn’t do anything in CarPlay but does elsewhere.
Yep, it’s like a ~30% occurrence on first power up, but every single time I unplug and replug my phone in it’s worked again. I really wish iOS 18 wasn’t such a crock of crap, but it’s really just been a universal downgrade.
I have a Volkswagen. My god. The infotainment. Beyond the fact that it just generally sucks to use, there is something wrong with it 9 times out of 10. I am surprised when I am able to change the Sirius/XM channel via the steering wheel buttons, because I almost always have to use the screen to navigate into the app. The navigation (both the native system and via CarPlay) regularly goes into violent spasms where it suddenly moves my “location” several miles in random directions. This bug is super fun when I am navigating an unfamiliary neighborhood! Sometimes when I put the car in reverse, the screen flashes to the backup camera for a moment and then just … goes black. Somtimes the regular screen comes back on once I’m driving along. Sometimes it stays black for several minutes.
WAIT I FORGOT. The wireless charging is also a mess. It will repeatedly flash a message onto the screen that the wireless charger isn’t working. I have to push a button to make the message go away (trust me, I have waited to see if it goes away on its own). I push the button. Two minutes later. Message is back.
Anyway, fuck VW.
This. 2022 Atlas Cross Sport. The infotainment is absolutely crap .
The backup camera thing is a violation of the FMVSS – please report it to the NHTSA.
VW probably has a sensor that detects when the NHTSA is testing the backup camera to make sure it works perfectly then.
Just about everyone i know that own’s a VAG product tells me their infotainment system sucks balls. My bro in law’s 2024 ID4 being, i think, the biggest offender. Once, a botched OTA update prevented it both from charging and pre heating while plugged. Not that practical during winter in Quebec… My friends 2025 Jetta, 2024 Taos and 2025 Tiguan seems nightmarish too with random bluetooth disconnects, lags and more random nuisances… when their engines arent just blowing up. Looking a you 14k km Taos and 19k km Tiguan….
I get the occasional bug in my ’21 Pacifica that requires a reboot – sometimes a charging system error on start that self-corrects if I get out and back in again. Once I got a HV battery overcharge error. Android Auto will drop out at specific geographic locations reliably. There’s one intersection that I pass through regularly where it ALWAYS disconnects.
So, what kind of government black ops experiment do we think is going on at that location?
Well, there’s a big AT&T telecommunications building there, so it’s probably government mind control rays.
My SIRIUS connection borks when I go under some bridge overpasses, but it’s only for a second or two, and pretty reliable. I would gander that you may be having the same issue of the antenna being blocked.
Its the wireless android auto. It gets signal interference. There is NO way to avoid it unfortunately due to how it works.
The really weird thing is that when we are using android auto on my partner’s phone, it doesn’t get borked. But I’m on Verizon and she’s on AT&T, so I speculate that’s the difference, since we both have Pixels.
There is manufacturer side, use better antennas. It’s likely radio interference as mentioned, from a source outside the vehicle talking over the phone/stereo connection.
Yeah but it is the phone antenna. Those can only be so good.
Antennas aren’t a zero sum game. If the phone antenna is junk, but only a problem with the car, that means the car’s antenna is even worse. Fixing either one would fix the problem. That said phone manufacturers have much more incentive to have a well functioning bluetooth antenna than automakers do.
My car is 28 years old. I hope I’m ready for Y2K!
I’ve never felt older than when I explained to a younger colleague what the Y2K bug was, how much it was EVERWHERE in 98 and 99, and New Year’s Eve 1999 wondering just how real/not real it was all going to be.
I was only seven years old in 2000, but I still remember asking my dad before bed on New Year’s Eve if everything was going to be okay. It was such a a big deal that even as a kid, I was worried about it.
It was a classic example of a coordinated effort with a successful result making people think it was never a problem in the first place.
I was designated driver that night and got a laugh from my drunk friends by smacking the dash of my ’92 Geo Metro and yelling at it “Hey, you oughta be able to fly by now!”
I was at a very weird party in Oakland, CA and hopped in the car to drive over the Bay Bridge when the clocked flipped over.
I have a 2025 Honda and my wife has a 2020 Honda, both have the occasional Carplay app go non-responsive but I would not classify that as “buggy as hell”.
The only issue I’ve had with my Buick TourX since I got it, was the driver side seat had an issue with the motor to adjust forward and back. One trip to the dealership, and a walk across the street for some lunch to kill an hour, and the issue was fixed.
Haven’t had another issue in 40K+ miles. So, yeah, Buick (or Opel) seem to be doing something right.
We own (lease) a 2024 Mazda CX-90. Yes, it’s buggy as hell. That is an understatement. I think we’re up to 12? recalls now.
We also own a 2023 BMW iX M60. It’s buggy too, but I like driving it, so I cut it some slack.
My wife’s van barely qualifies as a 2020MY, but was the end of the generation stretching back til 2011. Between that platform age and Toyota in general, it’s been pretty trouble free.
The only problem with my ’24 Blackwing so far has been inconsistent wireless charging. Not totally sure if it’s a problem with my phone case or the car, but someday I might take it in to the dealer to get it checked.
I’ve never used a built-in wireless charger that I wouldn’t describe as inconsistent.
Meanwhile a Viper is a body wrapped around an engine. Not much to go wrong there
Much more in mine than early ones, but FCA reputation aside I haven’t had any issues in a decade of owning it.
Do you own a car built in the last five years?
Yes, a Nissan Leaf. It’s not buggy at all.
I don’t own a car built in the last forty years.
I have no complaints about my cars’ software. Hardware, on the other hand…
I have had a few connection issues with my 2023 jeep, but more often than not it’s a bad cord or something set wrong on my phone. Honestly at nearly two years, I’m happily suprised that all the tech stuff seems to work fine.
We have a 21 RAM and BMW 330e. Neither has been buggy. The BMW has been flawless. The RAM has had some issues, but nothing really electronics related. It’s had a few electronics recalls for software updates, but I had never noticed the issues that the recalls addressed. We have a 2023 Acadia lease for our son that is away at college and it’s been fine other than an emission sensor that occasionally falls out of spec. After a few trips to the dealer where it came back a couple weeks later, I just have him reset it with a code reader and it usually goes away for a few months. I figure it’s getting turned back in to them in 8 months, so it’s not worth dealing with.
I switched from ford to mazda due to a 2014 ford focus. Thank goodness
I am not surprised about bugs growing more common. As software becomes more complex, quality goes down and programmers get overworked, it turns the end user into a net tester. Why do you think auto manufacturers want you connected to their networks for over the air updates? We’ve been dealing with this nonsense in video games for years, and it only gets worse every year
This was my first thought as well, that they were taking the video game approach of just releasing it unfinished to meet the release window, and then patching it as problems arise.
That’s a bit harsh. I’m sure it gets tested as best they can, as nobody wants to have to deal with the customer complaints, bad press, etc.
The problem is, as the economists say, the real world is often a special case.
There’s just so many edge cases you encounter when stuff gets released to the masses. You think you’ve covered everything, and then stuff comes at you from left field that was on nobody’s radar.
Sometimes you feel really stupid for missing it, other times is completely a WTF? It can get a little disheartening.
Recent Tesla here. It has a few small Bluetooth glitches every now and then. Otherwise the software has been great. Aside from the weird Musk stinking things up, that is.
Hopefully no one sets it on fire.
A year ago I’d be all “lol, wut?”. Now it has a no Elon sticker on it for various reasons. Great car, awful CEO.
Protesting is an American right. Just don’t harm me or my stuff.
Treat it to a new trunk emblem! Maybe go with Oldsmobile or Plymouth. Or even Studebaker!
Detroit Electric – Clara Ford’s favorite car.
For the most part, my MX-5 is bug free aside from the occasional issues with launching Android Auto (which may actually be an issue with the cheap-ass cable).
The Polestar 2, on the other hand. Boy howdy. The process of switching between users can take a solid 2-3 minutes and don’t bother trying to interact with it. “She just needs some time. She’s doing her best.” as my wife would say. Even then, if you get moving too soon, the map won’t display on the instrument cluster. Oh, and sometimes the HVAC screen just says “no thanks” and crashes the whole thing causing a reboot.
I have noticed my 2012 jeep phone connectivity works better than our 2020 chrysler phone connectivity. My jeep connects every time and the van sometimes will not.
OMG, that “PC LOAD LETTER” topshot (is that what you call it?) made me snort coffee out of my nose.
Got coffee all over my TPS reports!
“PC LOAD LETTER”?
WTF does that mean?!?!
Paper cartridge is out of letter size paper. In theory that is what the code means. Reality it is a paper load issue warning message
*facepalm*
Please go watch this scene (or ideally the entire movie) and recompute:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QQdNbvSGok
EDIT: contains NSFW language
It’s a Lizardman, they won’t get it.
I love this thread.
It is unreasonable to expect a lizardman in a human suit to get a pop culture reference from a couple of decades ago. If he could, I’d expect him to call it his ‘Edgar suit’.
My “suit” is a highly sophisticated biomechanical and holographic construct, not made from whatever this “edgar” is.
And I just proved your point, didn’t i?
Excuse me, isn’t it paper cassette?
The Ron Popeil reference got me too. Good Stuff!
I ain’t got no PC LOAD LETTERs putting up the drywall at the new Mac-Donalds I tell you what
F’in A.
Seeing PC LOAD LETTER on an infotainment screen is how I know I’m at the right place. Cheers to you Autopian for pleasing your core audience.