Cars have more tech than ever — and drivers are increasingly frustrated with their door handles, screens, and other features

• The more high-tech a car is, the more problems it has.
• The auto research firm JD Power assessed dozens of vehicle brands for its latest quality study.
• Tesla landed the second-worst brand in terms of quality, while Dodge took the crown.

As cars become flashier and more technologically advanced, they're getting more problematic, too. 

The overall quality of new vehicles is deteriorating and nagging problems are on the rise, according to a new study from JD Power. The auto-industry research firm said more technology in cars is partially to blame. 

"From persistent problems carrying over from years past to an increase in new types of problems, today's new vehicles are more complex — offering new and exciting technology — but not always satisfying owners," Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at JD Power, said in a statement. 

JD Power analyzed more than 93,000 owner and lessee responses to its 223-question survey that assessed the quality of nine categories including everything from a vehicle's infotainment, interior and exterior, controls and displays, and driving assistance. Those surveyed were all driving 2023 model-year vehicles. 

What are the biggest issues? 

Quality declined year over year across all categories apart from driving experience. The two categories where problems increased the most were features, controls, and displays, along with infotainment. 

Door handles, historically a non-issue, have become increasingly problematic, according to the study. They're particularly troublesome in electric vehicles, the study said. 

"The basic touch point of door handles is now a percolating problem area as manufacturers attempt to redesign them," JD Power said. "Owners are having issues with high-tech approaches to this basic function."

Some drivers reported that wireless charging pads frequently overheated and sometimes wouldn't deliver a charge. They also experienced issues with safety systems like lane-keeping assistance and forward-collision warning.

New cars, even bargain-bin models, have more technology baked into them than ever before. Large touchscreens and advanced driver-assistance technology like blind-spot monitoring are becoming the norm in the auto industry.

Where did automakers stack up?

JD Power assigned a score to each auto brand based on problems per 100 vehicles, and calculated an industry average of 192 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), up from 180 in 2022. 

Stellantis (the carmaker that resulted from the merger of Fiat Chrysler and the French PSA Group) took the top three spots in the overall ranking, with brands that generated the fewest complaints. Dodge had the fewest issues, with 140 PP100, followed by Ram at 141 and Alfa Romeo at 143. Buick, with 162, and Chevrolet, with 166, came fourth and fifth, respectively. 

Meanwhile, Polestar had a whopping 313 PP100, while Tesla was second-worst, with 257 PP100. (Both brands were not officially ranked as they didn't meet JD Power ranking criteria, but were given these unofficial scores based on a sample of owner surveys). Volvo and Chrysler, each with 250, and Volkswagen, with 249, rounded out the bottom five.

EV startups Rivian and Lucid saw 282 and 340 PP100, respectively, but were not award-eligible given their small sample size.

In terms of vehicles themselves, the Nissan Maxima had the highest initial quality overall, with 106 problems per 100 vehicles, according to the survey.

Here's the full list from JD Power:

*Both brands were not officially ranked but were given unofficial scores.