New cars come packed with all kinds of tech gadgets and safety features, but more doesn’t always mean better for buyers. JD Power’s 2024 US Tech Experience Index Research discovered that the loads of functions in new vehicles can be polarizing for owners: some praise the technology, while others say it’s frustrating.
The organization ranks vehicle features on a scale of “problems per 100 vehicles” (PP100). Owners reported 43.4 PP100 for gesture controls, with 21 percent saying the feature lacks functionality, according to a new performance metric J.D. Power included in this year’s survey. Other technology, such as the myriad hands-free driver assistance systemsreceived low scores for usability, and more advanced versions of those systems did not score much better in the study.
That being said, some Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) received positive reviews. Owners like features like blind spot monitoring, which address a specific need while driving rather than introducing an innovation they don’t understand.
Only a few owners responded positively when asked about passenger screens, with many classifying the feature as “not necessary.” Carmakers have pushed to put more screens in more expensive models, but only 10% of vehicles regularly have front-seat passengers, and traders have had difficulty teaching owners how to use the displays.
Tesla is one of the most technologically advanced automakers out there, but the company is facing growing pains as it scales from enthusiastic early adopters to more mainstream buyers. Some features in the company’s repertoire showed a downward trend in this year’s survey, as technologies such as the direct driver monitoring system caused problems for owners.
J.D. Power collected responses from nearly 82,000 owners of 2024 model year vehicles within 90 days of purchase. This year, the organization introduced a new return on investment analysis, which it will use to help automakers determine the best technical features for new vehicle models.