Asian Vehicle Seats Lead In Customer Satisfaction

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA (July 26, 2007) - J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study says that seats supplied in Asian nameplate vehicles have the fewest seat quality problems. The study provides automotive manufacturers and suppliers with quality and satisfaction information related to automotive seating systems. 

New-vehicle owners are asked to rate the quality of their vehicle seats and seat belts based on whether or not they experienced defect/malfunction or design problems during the first 90 days of ownership. Overall scores are measured as problems per 100 (PP100) vehicles, with lower scores reflecting higher quality.

The study findings include:
* With an average of 5.3 PP100, seats supplied to Asian nameplates have the fewest customer-reported seat problems compared with European (8.7 PP100) and domestic (7.3PP100) nameplates.
* Trim Masters, Inc., a joint venture between Johnson Controls, Inc. and Toyota Boshoku Corporation, ranks highest in overall automotive seat quality for a fifth consecutive year, with a score of 2.8 PP100. The company supplies seat systems for the Toyota's Avalon, Camry Sedan and Lexus RX 350.
* Mercedes-Benz follows Trim Masters in the rankings with a score of 3.7 PP100. The supplier's strong performance is greatly impacted by the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan, which comprises 60 percent of its model mix and has the fewest reported problems (0.9) among all models in the study. 
* Fold-down rear seats is the most desired feature for new-vehicle buyers, with 82 percent of customers wanting them in their next vehicle. 
* The feature with the greatest difference between those who have the feature and those who want it on their next vehicle is cooled/ventilated seats. 

"While the industry overall has improved slightly in 2007, customers are still experiencing problems at a rate similar to that of the 2006 study, and 65 percent of those problems are associated with the design elements of the seat," said Allison LaDuc, senior research manager of automotive product quality at J.D. Power and Associates. "In particular, customers report problems with the forward and backward adjustment controls and the lumbar support adjustment controls. Year after year, customers report the most problems in these areas, indicating that while manufacturers may be making strides in some areas, problems with these two critical areas haven't been adequately addressed."

(Source: J. D. Powers and Associates)