I think I wrote a while ago that there’s a bunch of studies we don’t need. I’ve always wondered who is paying for studies that give us results like “yep, Ferrari is expensive” and “fewer people know how to drive manual now.” Who was wondering this stuff?
Anyway, the most recent study from JD Power found that infotainment screens are irritating and riddled with problems.
The study that reaffirms our screen hatred
JD Power’s Component Quality Reports have just revealed that infotainment systems account for 25% of all vehicle problems, and are the only category to worsen year over year. While infotainment systems haven’t gotten much worse, other areas of tech and features have improved. Why aren’t infotainment systems?
Explained JD Power: “Multimedia-related problems are essentially unchanged year over year at 42.4 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), causing multimedia’s share of total vehicle problems to rise to 25%, accounting for the five most frequently reported vehicle problems.”
The dissatisfaction likely comes from two major categories of complaints: actual bugs and high expectations. My boyfriend’s 2024 Mustang GT always has something irritating happening with the infotainment system. The main issue is a repeated “collision warning” error message that won’t go away unless he restarts the car.
“I love the car itself, but hate the infotainment system,” he told me just now during an irritating commercial on Hulu (no, I refuse to pay for ad-free). “I want physical buttons back.”
It’s not broken, but just dealing with all these constant little issues seems frustrating when you spent money on a new car that has a blank cabin aside from a large screen. You’d want that screen to work as intended if they’re gonna take away buttons for it.
There are also many recalls involving infotainment screens, some from Ford and many from other automakers. A recent Ford recall affected 1.7 million vehicles due to a software problem that causes the infotainment system’s image to flip or invert, leading to confusion and potential accidents.
It’s no surprise that drivers hate screens and want physical buttons back, but this study proves it’s not just car enthusiasts blabbing about wanting “driver’s cars” and hating on EVs. It’s a genuine frustration. Screens are being pushed on us, but the software is buggy, and the experience is unenjoyable.
Bummer.
And some drivers (and passengers) don’t even want to bother with them. Another study from JD Power found that 35% of car owners have never even used the passenger screen. As someone with a collection of older cars, I didn’t even know passenger screens were a big thing.
“The technology customers value most is often the technology they barely notice because it simply works,” JD Power’s Doron Hikry said. Rather than overly complex features like Level 2+ driver assistance and passenger screens, drivers are looking for smart tech like smart ignition and smart climate control.
“The features that solve real problems without adding effort or stress for the driver are the ones resonating most with customers.”
Luckily, automakers are starting to understand this frustration and are bringing back physical buttons. Slowly but surely. We’re not asking for zero screens here (although, yes, please), we just don’t want lifeless, sterile vehicles with empty, depressing cabins focused on one giant screen.
Especially, if we need to see an error message every time we start up the car.
