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Kia leads J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study for 2022

For the first year ever, Kia leads J.D. Power's annual Vehicle Dependability Study with a score of 145 problems per 100 vehicles. Buick (147) and Hyundai (148) round out the top three. The highest premium brand on the list is Genesis, with a score of 148. It's common for so-called "mass market" brands to lead this particular study, according to J.D. Power, as "premium" brands "typically incorporate more technology in their vehicles, which increases the likelihood for problems to occur" and aren't necessarily built to a higher standard that less-expensive brands. The highest-rated single nameplate is the Porsche 911. It's the third time out of the past four years and the second year in a row that Porsche's quintessential sports car has taken top honors. Porsche as a brand sits in seventh place (162) just behind Lexus (159) and ahead of Dodge (166). At the very bottom of the list is Land Rover with a dismal score of 284; the SUV specialist held the same unfortunate distinction on last year's list. Ram (266), Volvo (256), Alfa Romeo (245) and Acura (244) also performed poorly. The overall industry average score sits at 192 — mass market brands average a score of 190 while premium brands sit 14 points lower at 204. While Tesla is unofficially included in some of J.D. Power's results, the agency says the sample size it has access to for this study is too small to include. As has been the case for the past several years, infotainment systems dominate the list of problems reported by owners. Popular (or unpopular, depending on your point of view) complaints include built-in voice recognition (8.3 PP100), Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity (5.4 PP100), built-in Bluetooth system (4.5 PP100), not enough power plugs/USB ports (4.2 PP100), navigation systems difficult to understand/use (3.7 PP100), touchscreen/display screen (3.6 PP100), and navigation system inaccurate/outdated map (3.6 PP100). While problems with the car's infotainment and technology packages are indeed bothersome, it's important to remember that such issues aren't usually leaving owners stranded with an immovable vehicle like a broken transmission or blown engine would. Culling infotainment complaints from the results would reduce the average problem-per-100-vehicle score by a staggering 51.9 points. The vehicles included in this study are from the 2019 model year. That means owners have had three years to get to know their cars and trucks. It's the 33rd year that J.D.

Junkyard Gem: 1994 Dodge Caravan with manual transmission

The K Platform saved Chrysler from certain doom after the company's 1979 bailout by the federal government, and one of the most successful K-based vehicles was the one that spawned the American minivan craze in 1984: the original Dodge Caravan/Plymouth Voyager. Built all the way through the 1995 model year, these K-Caravans or K-Voyagers could be purchased with a four- or five-speed manual transmission, but just a handful were sold that way. Here's an extraordinarily rare late 5-speed example, spotted in a San Francisco Bay Area wrecking yard. The shifter location is a little awkward, requiring the driver to reach back a bit more than would be the case in, say, a Dodge Shadow (which shared the same powertrain). It's too bad that Chrysler never offered these vans with five-on-the-tree manuals. Even though plenty of Mitsubishi-V6-powered front-wheel-drive Chryslers of the late 1980s and early 1990s were available with manual transmissions (e.g., the Chrysler Laser/Dodge Daytona or the Plymouth Sundance/Dodge Shadow), Chrysler minivan shoppers who wanted a stickshift had to take the four-cylinder engine (either a Chrysler 2.2/2.5 or, in the early years, a Mitsubishi 2.6 Astron). This one has the naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter engine that went into so many Plymouth Acclaims and Chrysler LeBarons. In 1995, it was rated at 100 horsepower, which made for stately acceleration with a full load of passengers. For the 1989 and 1990 model years, a 150-horse turbocharged Chrysler 2.5 with 5-speed was the high-performance minivan setup... and you should let us know if you find a factory-built one. This is only the second example of a manual-trans-equipped 1990s Chrysler minivan I have found in the junkyard (the first was this '93 Voyager), and both vans were lightly-optioned El Cheapo models with cloth seats and hand-crank windows; the manual transmission was a bit cheaper than the automatic in those days. At least this one has air conditioning. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Advertising for these minivans tended to focus on price, price, price. Featured Gallery Junked 1994 Dodge Caravan with 5-speed View 18 Photos Auto News Dodge Minivan/Van dodge caravan

Big rig gets blown over on Wyoming freeway, flattens police cruiser

A big rig navigating a stretch of windy Wyoming highway last week was blown over by high winds and landed on a Wyoming Highway Patrol cruiser. According to CBS News, three Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers responded to an accident along Interstate 80 near Elk Mountain on February 7. While the troopers were out of their cars assisting the crash victims, a white Volvo semi-truck lumbered up I-80 toward them. Wind gusts in that part of Wyoming were clocked in at up to 90 miles per hour on Tuesday, and one of them caught the semi as it neared the parked cruisers. Video from one of the cruiser's onboard cameras showed the big rig drift to the right as a big gust hit the trailer. Slowly, the whole rig tipped over and flattened one of the parked cruisers. The truck then slid a few feet on its side and came to a stop just aft of the cruiser. None of the troopers were injured in the incident, and two people in the truck came out of it unhurt as well. Patrol Lieutenant David Wagener told KGWN that that stretch of I-80 was closed on Tuesday to lightweight, high-profile vehicles. The truck driver was cited for the incident. High winds are no joke, and vehicles getting blown around or even clean off the road is a pretty common phenomenon. Way back in 2011, a truck got blown over in Utah. Then there was a train that got blown off a bridge in Louisiana in 2015. Related Video: News Source: CBS News, KGWN Auto News Dodge Volvo Driving Safety Truck Commercial Vehicles Police/Emergency Sedan semi truck rollover wyoming