In today’s crazy times, consumers can still count on their vehicles.

According to the just-released J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, vehicle dependability is at an all-time high.

The overall level of problems cited by owners has declined 10% from a year ago.

J.D. Power’s 2021 study also highlighted the most dependable model. That honor goes to the Porsche 911, which wins that category for the second time in three years.

Lexus is the highest-ranking brand.

Another top finding of the study is that Korean and Japanese brands perform well.

The study results provide validation for what the industry has known for awhile, said J.D. Power vice president of global automotive Dave Sargent.

“Automakers are making increasingly dependable vehicles — but there are still some problem areas that need to be addressed and some warning signs on the horizon,” Sargent said in a news release.

One of those areas of concern is that trucks and SUVs have room for improvement in the area of dependability.

The study is in its 32nd year, measuring the number of problems per 100 vehicles, or PP100, that original owners of 3-year-old vehicles experienced during the past 12 months. A lower score reflects higher dependability.

J.D. Power’s study covers 177 specific problems grouped into eight major vehicle categories: audio/communication/entertainment/navigation; engine/transmission; exterior; interior; features/controls/displays; driving experience; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; and seats.

The 2018 model-year vehicles that J.D. Power measured in this year’s study were first examined in its 2018 U.S. Initial Quality Study. At that time, new-vehicle quality had improved for the fourth consecutive year, reaching its best level ever. Six of the highest-ranking 10 brands in that study also appear among the 10 highest ranked in the 2021 study.

The study, fielded from July through November, is based on responses from 33,251 original owners of 2018 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership.

More detail on some of the top findings: Regarding vehicle dependability improving to its best level ever, the industry average is 121 PP100. That is the lowest in the study’s history. It is a 13 PP100, or 10%, improvement from 134 PP100 in 2020.

That is a much greater rate of improvement than in the past two years, which had improvements of 2 PP100 and 6 PP100, respectively.

Regarding the need room for improvement necessary for trucks and SUVs, cars continue to be the segment with the most dependable vehicles. They average 111 PP100, while trucks average 130 PP100 and SUVs average 122 PP100.

J.D. Power said trucks and SUVs currently account for approximately 80% of retail sales each month. But to achieve a similar level of dependability as for cars, it’s important for automakers to address problem areas in these two segments, J.D. Power said.

In the area of Korean and Japanese brands, owners of Asian brand vehicles experience the fewest problems — 115 PP100 — compared with domestic brands (126 PP100) and European brands (131 PP100).

In part, that is due to Korean brands Kia, Hyundai and Genesis. Those brands, when combined, average just 99 PP100. They represent a 19-point gap vs. the Japanese brands (collectively 118 PP100).

More good news: All problem categories have improved.

All eight categories improve this year. Exterior led the way at 3.7 PP100, followed by driving experience at 2.2 PP100.

ACEN (audio/communication/ entertainment/navigation) improved slightly, but it remains as the category with the most problems reported.

“From early in the ownership experience, many owners complain about these systems being problematic,” Sargent said. “It’s a recurring theme. With smartphone apps increasingly giving owners an alternative, some will give up on the vehicle’s built-in systems that caused that initial frustration. That’s problematic for automakers, as a lot of the vehicle’s value is tied up in these systems and they don’t want to hand this business over to third parties.”

In other news, the study profiled Tesla for the first time. That brand received a score of 176 PP100. But J.D. Power said the automaker is not officially ranked among other brands in the study because it doesn’t meet the ranking criteria. Tesla, unlike other manufacturers, does not grant J.D. Power permission to survey its owners in 15 states where it is required. But J.D. Power calculated Tesla’s score based on a strong sample of surveys from owners in the other 35 states.

Regarding the highest-ranking brands, Lexus ranks highest in overall vehicle dependability among all brands for the ninth time in 10 years. Porsche ranked second, followed by Kia, Toyota, Buick and Cadillac.

Kia showed much improvement, with a reduction of 35 PP100 from 2020. Kia also ranked highest overall among mass market brands for the first time. Cadillac, Acura, Hyundai and Mitsubishi were other brands above industry average showing the greatest improvement in PP100.

Toyota Motor Corp. received five segment awards for the Lexus ES, Lexus GX, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Sienna and Toyota Tundra.

General Motors Co. earned four segment awards for the Buick Envision, Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Silverado HD and Chevrolet Tahoe.

Hyundai Motor Group also received four segment awards for the Genesis G80, Kia Optima, Kia Sorento and Kia Sportage.

Chevrolet, Kia and Toyota each received three segment awards.

Tanya Parkes, vice president of the consumer division at J.D. Power, said vehicle dependability insights from the study are valuable to automakers and car shoppers.

“Shoppers who visit JDPower.com can also learn how a vehicle compares to others, which brings more clarity to the shopping experience,” Parkes said. “The J.D. Power 100-Point Scores are based on independent and unbiased insights from consumers who have actually owned these vehicles, and that’s something in which shoppers are keenly interested.”