Genesis, Kia, Hyundai lead JD Power Initial Quality ranks

Jaguar and Land Rover held the bottom two positions with the highest number of problems reported by owners.

Sister brands Genesis, Kia and Hyundai have swept the podium in JD Power's latest Initial Quality Study.

Genesis led the pack with 68 problems reported per 100 vehicles (PP100) during the first 90 days of vehicle ownership. Kia wasn't far behind with 72 PP100, while Hyundai scored 74 PP100.

Ford topped US brands and held fifth place overall, behind Porsche and ahead of Chevrolet and Lincoln. Lexus, Ram, Nissan, BMW, Cadillac, MINI, Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz all ranked above the industry average of 93 PP100.

At the bottom of the pack, Land Rover tallied the most problems with 160 PP100 while Jaguar counted 148 PP100.

JD Power says most categories showed overall improvement across the industry, with vehicle exterior bringing the biggest positive change. Infotainment problems are decreasing, but automakers are receiving additional complaints over driver assistance systems.

"In an era of increasingly automated vehicles, vehicle owners have to be comfortable using foundational technologies like lane keep assistance and collision avoidance," says JD Power's VP of automotive, Dave Sargent. "Otherwise, automakers will not easily overcome consumer resistance to fully automated (driverless) cars."