Take a peek at the top issues facing car owners in 2026 so that you can be prepared to face them with your own vehicle.
Cars today are wildly different from models made 20 or even 15 years ago. From updated safety standards to new kinds of technology, innovations have changed the driving experience.
While some of these changes have undoubtedly made cars safer, they’ve also caused a shift in the kinds of issues facing car owners today. JD Power has been running a study on this for 37 years now, and their 2026 findings may surprise you.
Software Issues
Many of the current issues facing car owners have to do with software. The JD Power 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS) noted that “this year’s results mark the highest-recorded problem count since the VDS was redesigned in 2022, highlighting an ongoing industry-wide trend in which vehicle dependability has degraded during the past three years.” The VDS looks at issues across nine broad categories, and this year’s study found that “infotainment systems” reported the most problems, with exterior issues coming in at second.
Many of the recent automotive recalls have listed a software update as the remedy. Even if your vehicle isn’t having dangerous issues, automotive companies still release over-the-air (OTA) software updates from time to time to keep vehicles “up to date.” The VDS found that “40% [of owners surveyed said] they received a software update in the past 12 months. Of those owners, only 27% say the update improved their vehicle, while 58% say they perceived no noticeable difference. More than half (63%) of the software updates were performed OTA and resulted in a nearly 14% increase in problems this year.”
Other Notable Finds
Software problems might be the most prevalent of the issues facing car owners today, but they were by no means the only issues in the study. Two other areas of note were issues around mobile phone integration and, especially with plug-in hybrid vehicles, electrified powertrain and battery issues.
Mobile phone problems
The VDS noted that the top issue in the industry, “for a third consecutive year [is] Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity.” Between this, built-in Bluetooth systems, wireless charging pads, and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) app connectivity, “these issues account for nearly half of the infotainment category problems in total.”
Electric powertrain issues
Finally, for plug-in hybrid owners out there, some unfortunate news. Per the study, “plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) remain the most problematic of any powertrain type in the study.” Their reported issues have increased the most in the past few years, followed by battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and hybrids. Interestingly, “the long-term dependability of gas-powered vehicles improves slightly —the least problematic among all powertrains.” So if you’re in the market for a new vehicle, keep that in mind when making your choice.
Source
Vehicle Software Updates Become More Routine, but Fall Short on Perceived Benefit, JD Power Finds, JD Power, 2026.
