2005 Hyundai Accent Tops Dependability Study

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., 08/07/2008 The fuel-efficient Hyundai Accent, which gets up to 35 miles per gallon on the highway, today was named the most dependable sub-compact car by J.D. Power and Associates in its 2008 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS).

The highly regarded study measures problems experienced by original owners of three-year-old (2005 model year) vehicles. The study is based on the responses of more than 52,000 owners of new vehicles bought between November 2004 and April 2005.

In addition to the highest ranking by Accent, Hyundai on the whole made dramatic improvements in its overall dependability scores:

• The number of problems per 100 vehicles over the entire product lineup dropped 28 points to 200, a 14 percent improvement over 2007, almost tripling the industry average improvement of 10 points.
• In the “non-premium” segment, Hyundai improved from 13th place to sixth place.
• Hyundai’s score placed it 13th among the 38 nameplates measured in the study and placed it ahead of the industry average for the first time.
• Each product in the Hyundai product portfolio improved over last year.

“Our continued dedication to quality is paying off for consumers, and this year’s Vehicle Dependability Study is further demonstration of the strides we are making,” said Barry Ratzlaff, Hyundai Motor America director of product quality. “Customers deserve higher levels of quality at the time they buy their vehicle and throughout its lifetime. Our improving initial quality and long-term dependability show that we’ve responded in a meaningful way for the long term.”

Ratzlaff went on to say that with the results achieved in this year’s dependability survey that Hyundai had reached a top tier of only a small number of brands that are above industry average in both initial quality and dependability.

The Accent scores registered only 187 problems per 100 cars, a more than 20 percent improvement over 2007 results. This improvement was mostly accounted for by measured improvements in the engine, climate controls and seating categories.

The VDS study measures problem symptoms of three-year-old vehicles primarily in categories such as ride, handling, braking, temperate controls, seats, engine performance, driving dynamics and interior and exterior durability. The VDS is one of three J.D. Power and Associates quality studies, along with the Initial Quality Study (IQS) that measures quality after 90 days of ownership, and the Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study that measures customer perceptions on the design, content, layout and performance of their new vehicles.