“As the number of features on cars on the road is growing, it may lead to more repair issues initially, but over time, I think the problems people experience will decrease,” Zuby said.
As an example, he pointed to Ford's introduction of an aluminum body on the F-150.
“The repair costs initially were higher and took longer [than for steel], but in the most recent update, there was no difference,” Zuby said. “It just takes time for these new issues to be fully addressed.”
Zuby said there is a concern that if consumers continue to experience problems, there will be less interest in the technology, and car buyers as a whole will be less likely to purchase vehicles with those features.
“As a safety organization, we’d like to see more cars equipped with them,” Zuby said.
The IIHS will continue to study the reasons behind the high rate of post-repair issues.
“We suspect part of it is growing pains, but we also suspect we need to make repair info more readily available, to not just OE shops but also independent shops,” Zuby said.
“Self-diagnostics were the least common reason to seek repair; we also think the auto industry could do more to make systems capable of alerting when a repair is needed,” he added.
Zuby said automakers have an obligation to make repair processes as simple as possible, and insurers also have to understand what they’re insuring so they’re not pushing back against estimates.
Abby Andrews