New Cars From These Brands Have The Most Problems In 2025

After leading the rankings in 2024, Ram fell all the way to seventh-from-last place in the 2025 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study.

Seeing such a dramatic fall from grace in a single year from Ram may make for interesting headlines, but the brand that fared the worst in the latest J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) was either Audi, with 269 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), or Rivian with 274 PP100. The American maker of electric trucks and SUVs was included outside the official rankings (along with Tesla) “because it does not meet study award criteria.”

Ram’s plummeting score (from 148 in 2024 to 218 in 2025) may be attributable in part to the large number of changes made to Ram’s 2025 lineup. In place of the tried-and-true Hemi V8 in 1500-class trucks is a pair of turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engines, and the 2500- and 35–class Heavy Duty trucks received revised engines, transmissions, interiors and technology.

“Typically, problems for new launches are balanced with some being successful and others having issues,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power. “This year, however, new launches are notably more problematic.”

In general, J.D. Power says premium brands usually have more problems than mass market brands, due in part to the high level of technology that’s included in expensive luxury cars. J.D. Power based this year’s IQS on survey results from 92,694 purchasers and lessees of new 2025 model-year vehicles after 90 days of ownership. There are 10 vehicle categories included in the survey: infotainment; features, controls and displays; exterior; driving assistance; interior; powertrain; seats; driving experience; climate; and unspecified (unique to repair).

Problems with infotainment technology are more prevalent than any other category. “While customers do find the larger touchscreens visually appealing, their functionality within the vehicle is an increasing source of frustration,” said Hanley. “Customers are having to tap and swipe through multiple screens to access key vehicle functions like climate settings and built-in garage door openers. Owners find these things to be overly complicated and too distracting to use while driving. By retaining dedicated physical controls for some of these interactions, automakers can alleviate pain points and simplify the overall customer experience.”

Interestingly, cupholders are another source of owner frustration in 2025. J.D. Power cites increasing numbers and sizes of reusable containers, some of which don’t fit well into traditional round cupholders, as the culprit.

Although problems with difficult infotainment systems and poorly sized cupholders may be aggravating, it’s worth considering that today’s modern cars and trucks are less likely to suffer catastrophic engine or transmission problems than they were a few decades ago. 

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