J.D. Power Talks to 'Auto Trends' About the Latest New-Vehicle Initial Quality Study and More

J. D. Power talks to Auto Trends with JeffCars.com about their latest initial quality study. During the lively conversation, we'll discuss how the 2025 model year vehicles fared in the first 90 days of ownership based on customer feedback.

Moreover, we'll talk about J. D. Power's latest seat and technology studies, too and its impact on the initial quality study.

Lisa Boor, Frank Hanley and Kathleen Rizk will be joining us for the conversation.

2025 GMC Sierra 1500 AT4X Diesel Short Bed: The Brand’s Off-Road Full Size Truck with a Standard Factory Lift

Highlight: The AT4X is outfitted with a factory-built 2-inch lift.

Test Vehicle’s MSRP: $87,935 (Base Pro Trim MSRP): $49,495

Seating Capacity: 5 passengers

Standard Safety Features (AT4X): airbags; ABS; a backup camera; a blind spot collision avoidance assist; rear cross traffic avoidance; a lane keep assist system; a lane following assist system; a high beam assist; a forward collision assist system; a vehicle stability system with trailer front sway; a tire pressure monitoring system; a hill start assist; a hill start assist system; automatic emergency braking; forward collision braking; lane keep assist with lane departure warning; trailer side blind zone alert; rear cross traffic braking; and a tire pressure monitoring system

'Auto Trends' Talks About Consumer New Car Purchasing Behavior Post Pandemic And The New Tariffs

Auto Analyst Tom Libby  (Photo Credit: S&P)

Tom Libby, a Detroit-based auto analyst, who serves as S&P Global Mobility director of loyalty, talks to Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, a syndicated multicultural automotive radio program about the latest car-buying trends.

Being that this is the five-year anniversary of the Covid-10 pandemic, Libby analyzes the shift in consumer purchasing behavior with new vehicles throughout that period, as well as the average transaction prices. 

SiriusXM's 'Auto Trends' Black History Spotlight: Designer Chris Benjamin Resurrects A Car Brand Birthed 65 Years Ago

Chief Design Officer Chris Benjamin is posing with one of the vehicles his team created. (Photo Credit: Scout Motors)

Chris Benjamin, a native New Yorker, has joined an exclusive club, becoming one of a handful of Black automotive designers in the world to head a design studio.

Like the elite club of the four Black quarterbacks who have led their teams to the finish line in the Super Bowl, Benjamin finds himself in a car club just as exclusive as the Black NFL winning Super Bowl quarterbacks.

Experian Automotive Talks to 'Auto Trends' About the State of Car Financing

Melinda Zabrintski, who is the head of automotive financial insights for Experian Automotive, talks car payments and more. (Photo Credit: EA)

Over the past two years, the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates have 11 times. 

Melinda Zabrintski, who is the head of automotive financial insights for Experian Automotive, joins Auto Trends with JeffCars.com, the only multicultural syndicated automotive program in North America, to talk about the effect the rates have had on consumers financing and leasing new and used vehicles. 

Experian Automotive is a division of Experian credit, one of the leading credit bureaus in the U.S.

Moreover, Zabrintski touches on where consumers are getting their financing from.

A New Safety Startup With High Profile Executives Talk To 'Auto Trends'

Andrew Coetzee, an ESS chief safety advocate, is standing in front of a vehicle using his organization's technology. (photo credit: JC)

Andrew Coetzee, who serves as the chief safety advocate of the Houston-based Emergency Safety Solution, talks to Auto Trends with JeffCars.com. Coetzee, a retired Toyota executive, discusses why the new startup was formed and how they plan to save lives by preventing crashes involving disabled and stopped vehicles.

Its Shop Time Mondays: Acura, Chevy, GMC And Honda Are On This Week's Recall List

 

1. Air Bag May Deploy Unintentionally During a Crash

An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000

Manufacturer Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

Components AIR BAGS

Potential Number of Units Affected 750,114

Toyota Recalls Over 2.5-Million Vehicles For Electrical And Bumper Concerns, While Jeep Wagoneer Addresses Seat Belt Safety

1. Unsecured Battery May Cause Short Circuit

A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V734000

Manufacturer Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Components ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Potential Number of Units Affected 1,853,568

Its Shop Time Mondays: Ford Is Recalling 871,000 F-150 Trucks For Electric Brake Concerns

Unexpected Activation of Electric Parking Brake

Unexpected activation of the electric parking brake while driving increases the risk of a crash.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V509000

Manufacturer Ford Motor Company

Components PARKING BRAKE

Its Shop Time Mondays: Ford And Lincoln Are Recalling Vehicles With The 2.5 Liter Engine, While Toyota Warns Of Airbags Concerns With The Corolla Cross

Engine Failure May Cause Fire

An engine compartment fire increases the risk of injury.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V380000

Manufacturer Ford Motor Company

Components ENGINE

Potential Number of Units Affected 125,322

Summary

Bloomberg Intelligence Auto Analyst Talks To 'Auto Trends' (Video Included)

 

Bloomberg Intelligence's Kevin Tynan, a senior auto analyst, shares his insights about the current trends in the auto industry related to new and used car prices, leasing, vehicle affordability, interest rates, the Inflation Reduction Act, the economy, TikTok in cars and more. 

The radio program will air from Saturday, April 22 thru Thursday, April 27. To tune in to the program, click here. 

J.D. Power Talks To 'Auto Trends' About Their Latest EV Studies: Home Charging Satisfaction To Dealership Service Experience

 

Auto Trends with JeffCars.com kicks off the month of April, focusing on the ever-growing EV market with two industry gurus from J.D. Power. 

Brent Gruber, executive director of the EV practice, and Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail, join the show to discuss the latest findings regarding the overall ownership experience, the dealership service experience and home charging satisfaction with zero emission vehicles. This insightful conversation will provide non EV owners a heads up on what's in store as they consider transitioning to an EV.  As of the 2022 calendar year, 6 percent of new vehicles registered in the U.S. were EVs.

'Auto Trends' Talks One-On-One With One Of The Leading Black Voices In The EV Battery Lane

 

While the world is familiar with Elon Musk and his line of mass produced, all-electric Teslas that achieves just over 200 miles on a battery charge, Denise Gray, who's a much quieter player in the hybrid and electric battery field, is one of the pioneers revolutionizing the industry, too.

Gray and her team are directly responsible for designing and developing battery packs to fuel, no pun intended, such vehicles as GM's new Tesla fighter, the mass-produced Chevy Bolt. Like the California built Teslas, the all-electric Bolt also has a driving range that surpasses 200 miles on a full battery charge. Conversely, unlike the pricey Teslas, the Bolt is currently one of a handful affordable EV alternatives on the market today to Musk’s luxury electric vehicles.

'Auto Trends' Annual Auto Show Preview: 2023 And Beyond (Two Shows)

 

 VinFast (Photo Credit: VinFast)

Who: Our Annual Auto Show Preview (2023 Models And Beyond)

What: Co-Hosted By Michigan's Stephanie Brinley of S & P Global Mobility and California's Zach Gale of Motor Trend Magazine. Both Michigan and California serve as Ground Zero for the auto industry in terms of car design studios, industry research and manufacturing.

Why: Its the best way to find out what's new from each automaker brand-by-brand from well-respected industry insiders, as well as some of their personal picks. We'll talk about pricing, brand strategy, size, power, performance, style and more.

Its Shop Time Mondays: General Motors, Ram And Subaru Are Recalling Approximately 2.2 Million Vehicles

Tailgate May Open While Driving

An unintended tailgate opening while driving may result in a loss of unsecured cargo, possibly creating a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V904000

Manufacturer Chrysler (FCA US, LLC)

Components STRUCTURE

Potential Number of Units Affected 1,234,657

2022 Toyota Tundra Limited TRD Crewmax 4x4: Did They Finally Get It Right?

Highlight: The fullsize truck is not available with an 8-cylinder engine.

Test Vehicle's MSRP: $59,009 (Base Model: $39,695)

Seating Capacity: 5

Standard Safety Features: airbags; ABS; a rearview camera; vehicle stability control; traction control; trailer sway control (6-cylinder); an automatic slip differential (automatic only); pre collision system with pedestrian detection; a lane departure alert system; automatic high beams; a radar activated cruise control system; and a tire pressure monitoring system; and a hill start assist control system (automatic transmission only)

Standard Equipment (SR): 18-inch wheels; black on black grille; LED headlights; cab mounted cargo lights; easy lower and lift tailgate; aluminum reinforce composite bed; deck rail header; power heated side view mirrors; front door handles with touch sensor; 8-inch infotainment screen; a single zone automatic climate control system; fabric seats; manual operated front seats; a manual operated tilt/telescopic steering wheel; and a 60/40 split rear seat

Its Shop Time Mondays: Nissan Has Rollaway Trucks, While Porsche Has Headlights That Need Readjusting

1. Unsecured Transmission May Cause Rollaway

A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of a crash.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V671000

Manufacturer Nissan North America, Inc.

Components POWER TRAIN

Potential Number of Units Affected: 203,223

Summary

Nissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Titan and Frontier vehicles. The transmission parking pawl may not engage when the vehicle is shifted into park, which can result in a vehicle rollaway.

The Pros And Cons: EV Buyers, Minorities And Biden's Inflation Reduction Act (Vehicles Eligible Included)

With the passage of Biden's game changing Inflation Reduction Act, this is expected to charge up the electric vehicle sales in both the new and used car segments.

Up until recently, Tesla, Toyota and General Motors customers were no longer eligible for upwards of $7,500 in tax credits toward the purchase of a new vehicle. Being that those automakers were early adopters of the electric vehicle movement and met the government requirement of selling 200,000 cars, this placed both their customers and the automakers at a disadvantage. 

Its Shop Time Mondays: Nissan Is Recalling Over 500,000 SUVs And Trucks For Rollaway And Hood Unlatching Concerns

 

1. Malfunctioning Hood Latch

An unsecured hood could unexpectedly open while driving, obstructing the driver's view, and increasing the risk of a crash.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V420000

Manufacturer Nissan North America, Inc.

Components LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

Its Shop Time Mondays: Honda Is Recalling Over 112,000 Ridgelines

Frame Corrosion May Cause Fuel Leak

A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V430000

Manufacturer Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)

Components STRUCTURE

Potential Number of Units Affected 112,060