The quality killer: Voice technology
Infotainment gadgets are the industry's albatross
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Cars and trucks have never been built better, but frustration with audio, infotainment and navigation features on new vehicles has never been worse.
That's the big takeaway from the 2012 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study. For the first time, complaints about such features surpassed those about engines and transmissions as the top category.
The No. 1 beef: voice recognition devices not understanding commands.
Power says factory-installed hands-free communication devices are the "most-often-reported problem in the industry." Those complaints have soared 137 percent in the past four years.
"Voice recognition works," says David Sargent, Power's vice president of global automotive. "But it can be difficult sometimes. And at 80 mph, it's hard to use."
The survey is a wake-up call for automakers betting heavily on voice recognition technology to allow motorists to keep their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road. It suggests that voice technology is far from a silver bullet and that many motorists are struggling to adapt.
And it seems likely to intensify the auto industry's search for better voice technology, such as Apple's Siri, and some alternatives. Meanwhile, federal regulators have yet to spell out what infotainment functions will be allowed in autos to limit driver distraction.
Sargent says the surge of voice recognition complaints follows a rapid rollout from a few luxury models just a few years ago to 80 percent of new vehicles sold.
"Voice recognition a few years ago was basically on only high-end vehicles," he says. "Now most vehicles have some type of hands-free operation."
Supplier executives acknowledge that motorists tend to reject voice technology if it doesn't work properly the first or second time. Perhaps the vehicle's cabin is too noisy, or the motorist hasn't memorized the proper commands, or the system has so many features that the user is confused.
Natural language
To improve the success rate, automakers are developing systems controlled by "natural language," a system that can respond to commands made using conversational language rather than commands memorized from a list.
And now they are starting to work with Apple Inc., the company that popularized natural-language technology.
On June 11, Apple announced plans to make its Siri voice recognition software, introduced last year on the iPhone 4S, available to a number of automakers.
The feature, called "Eyes Free," will allow drivers to make calls, dictate text messages, look up directions and perform other functions available through Siri by speaking.
General Motors and Honda have confirmed they will use Eyes Free. GM will offer it as part of its MyLink infotainment system on the 2013 Chevrolet Spark and Sonic, which go on sale this year.
American Honda spokeswoman Alicia Jones said Siri Eyes Free will be "extensively applied" to coming Honda and Acura vehicles. She declined to say when Honda will launch the technology but said Honda will announce more about it by year end.
Eyes Free, as the name suggests, will let drivers operate their phones without having to take their eyes off the road. To minimize distractions, Apple says that while in use, the phone's screen won't light up.
"Natural language" will make infotainment systems more user-friendly, says Sachin Lawande, executive vice president of Harman International's infotainment division.
"This technology has been around for a couple of years, but only now is it beginning to make an impact in the auto industry," Lawande says. "It will greatly improve the situation."
Interim solution?
In the meantime, some automakers are trying a belt-and-suspenders approach to voice technology.
Infiniti and Hyundai Motor Co. have adopted an infotainment system that allows human operators in a call center to backstop a vehicle's voice recognition software.
If the motorist gives his vehicle's infotainment system an ambiguous command, the computer transmits the command to a call center, where an operator interprets it. Hyundai says the system works well. But call centers are expensive, and Lawande calls it an interim solution until natural-language software is fully adopted.
In February, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed the agency's first set of voluntary guidelines on distracted driving. The guidelines cover only vehicle equipment, not hand-held phones, and recommend that automakers disable certain apps, such as Facebook, Twitter and Internet browsers, unless a car is parked.
But the guidelines don't provide guidance on hands-free technologies such as Eyes Free and Ford Motor Co.'s Sync, which allow drivers to control a range of features by voice only.
NHTSA officials say they're still studying the safety of their use on the road and plan to finish their analysis this year. The agency expects to cover those technologies in a third phase of guidelines.
Design problems
In the 2012 IQS study, half the problems reported by vehicle owners after 90 days were design-related -- things that are confusing or hard to use rather than faulty or broken.
"Design problems and defect problems are almost 50-50," Sargent says. "And the design problems have grown from about 45 percent five years ago."
Overall, reported problems fell 5 percent, to 102 per 100 vehicles, the industry's best performance in the study's 26-year history, he says.
Since Power revamped its influential annual study in 2006 from a tally of malfunctions to include what owners consider awkward or hard-to-use designs, technology has become a double-edged sword for manufacturers. Cool new technology attracts buyers -- but unless it works perfectly it can turn off buyers, Sargent says.
And voice recognition is just the tip of the technology iceberg, he says. Sargent expects much more technology based on cameras, night vision and navigation to spread into all segments in the next few years.
"Technology is increasingly important as a quality differentiator," he says. "People want it. But it has to be easy to use, and not everybody can find the right balance."
Take Ford. In the 2010 Power IQS study it was the top-ranked mass-market brand. But after it launched the MyFord Touch system, which buyers considered balky, its problems per 100 vehicle soared, and it tumbled to No. 23 in the 2011 study.
Ford has modified the system software. But Ford quality boss Bennie Fowler says the move came too late to help in the new study, in which Ford fell to No. 27 of 34 brands.
"In a sense, Ford took one for the team," Sargent says. "It went early. It was brave. But others saw it and said, 'We were going to do that, but now we'll go slow.'"
Hyundai's 2012 IQS score improved slightly compared with last year. But Mike O'Brien, Hyundai's vice president of product planning, says the results were hindered by customers who struggled to pair mobile phones with Bluetooth hands-free systems.
"My understanding is the single biggest issue we have is our Bluetooth ... and the challenges that presents to some of our customers," he says.
Hyundai officials say they plan to survey thousands of customers to research the issue.
When to offer advanced technology has become a tough call for carmakers. Being first to offer a new feature helps attract buyers, especially tech-savvy young customers who haven't formed brand preferences.
But buyers under 35 are the fussiest. They have higher expectations, use technology the most and report twice as many problems of all types as buyers over 65, Sargent says.
"They ask, 'If this works on a $200 smartphone, why won't it work on a $50,000 car?'"
David Sedgwick, Christina Rogers and Ryan Beene contributed to this report
1. Audio/navigation/infotainment: 18%
2. Exterior: 15%
3. Engine/transmission: 15%
4. Features/controls/display: 14%
Source: J.D. Power 2012 Initial Quality Study
You can reach Jesse Snyder at jsnyder@crain.com.
