J.D. Power has recently released its 2019 U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study, showing that a customers’ view and overall satisfaction with their vehicles’ original tire affects not just their tire brand loyalty but also influences their loyalty to the car brand, based on responses gathered from 27,777 owners of 2017 and 2018 model-year vehicles that were fielded from October through December 2018.
The study measures tire owner satisfaction in four key areas: tire wear; tire ride; tire appearance; and tire traction/handling and with rankings that include four vehicle segments: luxury; passenger car; performance sport; and truck/utility.
Michelin was highest in three vehicle segments. It scored 772 in luxury, 756 in passenger car and 730 in truck/utility (out of 1,000), while Goodyear positioned itself as highest in performance sport with a score of 753.
“There is a big disconnect between consumers' expectation for the life of their OE tires and their actual experience, which we find not only influences how likely owners are to repurchase the same brand of tire, but also how likely they are to repurchase the same brand of vehicle,” said Brent Gruber, senior director, automotive quality practice at J.D. Power. “Wear is the biggest influence on tire satisfaction and, when unhappy owners need to replace their tires due to rapid wear, they place blame on the tire manufacturer but also on the vehicle manufacturer. Although it is a challenge balancing performance with long tread life, owners expect more from their tires.”
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