“The quality of the cars and light commercials sold in South Africa has improved to such a degree in recent years that Ipsos SA, which has been tracking the automotive industry in this country since the early 1990s, has revamped its scoring system for the annual Vehicle Quality Survey.”

Problems by segment

The problems experienced by consumers differ not only by the type of vehicle they drive but the segment in which the vehicle is competing in. We’ve included the full list of problems by vehicle type at the end of this article.

A common problem experienced by hatchback owners relates to the windows, followed by engine noise and performance, and driving and braking.

Sedan owners reported problems with “windows and boot lid, engine performance and consumption, and driving and braking”. Top executive sedans, on the other hand, suffer issues with the door locks, the aircon/heater, and infotainment systems.

Owners of Multipurpose vehicles (MPVs) reported problems with their doors, windows, and tires, followed by driving and braking, and engine performance and noise.

Small recreational vehicle owners reported problems with the boot lids, engine consumption and noise, and the infotainment system. Large recreational vehicles had problems with the doors, infotainment systems, and driving and braking.

Petrol-powered bakkie owners reported fewer problems than diesel bakkies. A common problem among both petrol and diesel single cab bakkies were issues with the wheels, but petrol cabs had greater issues with consumption and performance, and driving and braking, as opposed to the diesel’s driving and braking, and transmission problems.

For double cabs both petrol and diesel vehicles reported problems with the doors, engine consumption, and driving and braking.