TROY, Mich. -

Although vehicle technology is progressing at a rapid rate — even self-driving cars are no longer just an idea — it seems some of this very same tech evolution is continuing to cause vehicle owners problems.

According to the J.D. Power 2016 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study released Wednesday, technology continues to affect vehicle reliability.

The study, which found Lexus ranked the highest in vehicle dependability for the fifth year in a row, also showed the number of problems with infotainment, navigation and in-vehicle communication systems (which together are known as audio, communication, entertainment and navigation or ACEN) has spiked.

These types of issues now account for 20 percent of all customer-reported problems in the study, making it the most problematic areas on most vehicles. This is also the cause of the 3-percent year-over-year decline in vehicle dependability, according to the study, which is based on responses from 33,560 original owners of 2013 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership.

And this is particularly interesting, because 2015 sure brought up a lot of issues when it comes to trust in vehicles. Just look at the VW emissions scandal, or the giant Takata airbag recall — that seems to just keep growing — for example.

But, it seems vehicle owners are most worried about the tech problems that continue to plague their cars and trucks. In fact, in mid-February, General Motors confirmed that it will recall approximately 200,000 Saab and Saturn vehicles that contain Takata PSDI-5 driver front airbag inflators. In other words, the recalls just keep coming.

“The increase in technology-related problems has two sources,” Renee Stephens, vice president of U.S. automotive at J.D. Power, noted in the company's analysis. “Usability problems that customers reported during their first 90 days of ownership are still bothering them three years later in ever-higher numbers. At the same time, the penetration of these features has increased year over year.”

What are the most reported problems with ACEN?

  • Bluetooth pairing/connectivity and built-in voice recognition systems misinterpreting commands.
  • Navigation system difficult to use, and navigation system inaccurate.

Once again, Lexus took the No. 1 spot for vehicle dependability among all brands, with a score of 95 problems per 100 vehicles.

According to the J.D. Power study, Porsche came in second when it comes to vehicle dependability with a score of 97, moving up from fifth in 2015.

Following Porsche in the rankings in the study were Buick (106), Toyota (113) and GMC (120).

General Motors also scored big with eight segment awards for the following vehicles: Buick Encore; Buick LaCrosse; Buick Verano; Chevrolet Camaro; Chevrolet Equinox; Chevrolet Malibu; Chevrolet Silverado HD; and GMC Yukon.

And Toyota took home six segment awards for its Lexus ES, Lexus GS, Lexus GX, Toyota Prius v, Toyota Sienna and Toyota Tundra.

Durability rankings

On the durability front, automotive research firm iSeeCars.com analyzed of a sample of 12 million cars on the road in 2015 from model years 1981 and newer to determine the models with the higher percentage of vehicles over 200,000 miles.

Interestingly enough, Lexus didn’t show up in the durability luxury rankings at all, despite topping the the dependability rankings. 

The Lincoln Navigator took the top durability spot (from iSeeCars) with 2 percent of vehicles over 200,000 miles. Next up was the Cadillac Escalade with 1.4 percent, following by the Acura MDX at 1.3 percent.

On the mainstream side of things of the iSeeCars study on the longest lasting vehicles, the Ford F-250 topped the list with 6 percent of vehicles over 200,000 miles.

In line with J.D. Power’s findings on dependability, it seems GM and Toyota cars are lasting quite a while for their owners, as well. GM had six vehicles on iSeeCars longest lasting vehicles list, while Toyota had four.

How automakers build ‘trust in technology’

J.D. Power warned that while automakers are moving toward ground-breaking tech feats such as fully autonomous vehicles on the road, consumers still need to have confidence these technologies will work.

That said, autonomous features are appealing to car shoppers.  In fact, a small percentage (8 percent) of the 175 automotive executives in 21 countries that IBM surveyed in its Automotive 2025: Industry without borders study think autonomous vehicles will be in mainstream use as soon as in the next 10 years. A much larger percentage (38 percent) think they will at least be in limited use in the mainstream market.

And after surveying a panel of over 1,000 vehicle owners online last year for its 2016 In-Vehicle Technology Shopper Influence Study, Autotrader found that 70 percent of the consumers surveyed are more likely to consider a vehicle with autonomous features, such as parking assistance, collision avoidance and automatic braking.

“If you think about the technology problems from the study in the context of conversations around autonomous vehicles, the industry clearly has more work to do to secure the trust of consumers,” said Stephens. “Right now, if consumers can’t rely on their vehicle to connect to their smartphone, or have faith that their navigation system will route them to their destination, they’re certainly not yet ready to trust that autonomous technology will keep their vehicle out of the ditch.”

Reliability is also critically important to vehicle dependability, including technology, and according to the study, more than 50 percent of owners cite reliability as one of the most influential reasons for choosing a specific make and model.

At the same time, concerns about reliability have risen this year as a reason to avoid particular models — due mostly to the large number of recalls launched over the course of the past couple of years.

“The decline in reliability coupled with a record number of vehicle recalls and safety-related complaints affect consumer confidence,” said Stephens. “Dependability has a direct impact on purchase decisions and brand loyalty.”