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J.D. Power and Associates Reports: High Incidence of Reported Problems Indicates Continued Owner Frustrations with Vehicle Navigation Systems

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Nov. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Vehicle owners are continuing to experience a high number of problems with factory-installed navigation systems, primarily with routing quality and system usability, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Navigation Usage and Satisfaction Study(SM) released today.

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Now in its 13th year, the study identifies six factors that contribute to overall satisfaction with factory-installed navigation systems. In order of importance, they are: ease of use; routing; navigation display screen; speed of system; voice directions; and voice recognition. The study also measures quality by examining problems per 100 (PP100) navigation systems, in which a lower score reflects higher quality.

On average, owners of factory-installed navigation systems experienced 351 PP100 in 2011. The eight most-frequently reported issues, which account for more than 50 percent of problems reported overall, are:

    --  Inability to view screen due to glare (14 PP100)
    --  Map or point of interest search was missing points of interest (16
        PP100)
    --  Couldn't find desired menu/screen (19 PP100)
    --  Map doesn't show enough street names (21 PP100)
    --  Difficulty using voice recognition controls (23 PP100)
    --  Route provided was not direct (24 PP100)
    --  Difficulty inputting destination (32 PP100)
    --  Address/street/city not found (33 PP100)

"Routing--the primary function of a navigation system--is obviously an issue and will continue to be," said Andy Bernhard, director at J.D. Power and Associates. "However, for nearly 10 years, the importance of ease of use has been emphasized by owners, and the continued high level of problems in this area begs the question: is the industry listening to how owners want to interact with their system?"

The study finds that system usability is one of the biggest contributors to problem incidence, with nearly one-third of reported problems related to ease of use of the navigation system. Furthermore, the trend toward integrating the controls of different systems in the vehicle, including audio, climate control and phone, only adds to the ease-of-use issues that owners experience with their navigation system. For instance, among those owners who consider their multimedia system's menu structure overall to be "not at all complex," the number of navigation system problems experienced is 243 PP100. However, among those who say the multimedia system interface is "very complex," the average number of problems is three times as high, at 735 PP100.

"There is a necessity in the industry to better understand how the complexity of interfaces and the implementation of navigation within the overall system impact the owner experience," said Bernhard. "Owners continue to demand a high level of technology, but it is through the integration of this technology into their day-to-day lives that both adoption and satisfaction will be influenced--and the industry continually appears to be missing the mark."

The Garmin system fitted to the Dodge Charger ranks highest in owner satisfaction with factory-installed navigation systems and performs particularly well in the navigation display screen, ease of use and speed of system factors. The Hyundai-Mobis navigation system supplied to the Hyundai Genesis Coupe follows in the rankings, and the Garmin system supplied to the Chrysler 300 series ranks third.

The 2011 U.S. Navigation Usage and Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 18,303 owners who recently purchased or leased new 2011 model-year vehicles with factory-installed navigation systems. The study was fielded in October 2011.

    Supplier      Vehicle                        Index JDPower.com Power Circle
                                                 score Ratings for Consumers
    ---                                          ----- ---------------------
    Garmin        Dodge Charger                        767                      5
    Hyundai
     Mobis        Hyundai Genesis Coupe                761                      5
    Garmin        Chrysler 300 Series                  760                      5
    Alpine
     Electronics,
     Inc.         Acura TSX Sedan                      758                      5
    Harman        Audi S4 Sedan                        754                      5
    Hyundai
     Mobis        Hyundai Elantra                      754                      5
    Clarion       Ford Flex                            750                      5

    Clarion       Ford Fusion                          749                      4
    Clarion       Lincoln MKS                          748                      4
    Hyundai
     Mobis        Hyundai Sonata                       747                      4
    Pioneer       Acura TL                             744                      4
    DENSO
     Corporation  Chevrolet Volt                       743                      4
    DENSO
     Corporation  Buick LaCrosse                       738                      4
    DENSO
     Corporation  Lexus RX 350                         738                      4
    Clarion       Ford Taurus                          738                      4
    DENSO
     Corporation  Lexus IS 250/IS 350/IS-F             738                      4
    Harman        Audi A4 Sedan                        734                      4
    Clarion       Lincoln MKZ Hybrid                   733                      4
    Harman        Audi A5 Coupe                        729                      4
    Clarion       Infiniti FX-Series                   728                      4
    Garmin        Dodge Durango - Garmin               726                      4
    Harman        Volkswagen Touareg                   724                      4
    Garmin        Ram 1500 LD - Garmin                 723                      4
    Harman        Hyundai Genesis Sedan - Harman       721                      4
    Garmin         Jeep Wrangler Unlimited -
                   Garmin                              719                      4
    Clarion       Infiniti QX56                        717                      4
    DENSO
     Corporation  Lexus ES 350                         716                      4
    Clarion       Ford Expedition                      714                      4

    Technisat     Volkswagen GTI 4dr Hatchback         712                      3
    Hyundai
     Mobis        Hyundai Tucson                       711                      3
    Alpine
     Electronics,
     Inc.         Honda Odyssey                        711                      3
    Clarion       Infiniti G37 Sedan                   708                      3
    Hyundai
     Mobis        Hyundai Santa Fe                     707                      3
    DENSO
     Corporation  Cadillac SRX                         704                      3
    Garmin        Chrysler 200 Sedan - Garmin          704                      3
    Garmin        Jeep Grand Cherokee - Garmin         702                      3
    Harman        Audi Q7                              702                      3
    DENSO
     Corporation  Land Rover Range Rover Sport         700                      3
    Technisat     Volkswagen Jetta Sedan               700                      3
    Alpine
     Electronics,
     Inc.         Acura MDX                            698                      3
    DENSO
     Corporation  Lexus RX 450h                        698                      3
    Harman        Audi Q5                              696                      3
    Clarion       Nissan Altima Sedan                  696                      3
    Alpine
     Electronics,
     Inc.         Acura RDX                            696                      3
                  Study Average                        695                      3
    DENSO
     Corporation  Toyota Camry                         695                      3
    Technisat     Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen          694                      3
    Clarion       Infiniti M-Series                    692                      3
    Alpine
     Electronics,
     Inc.         Honda Pilot                          690                      3
    Technisat     Volkswagen Tiguan - Technisat        689                      3
    MELCO         Mercedes-Benz C-Class                687                      3
    MELCO         Mercedes-Benz E-Class Sedan          685                      3
    Clarion       Nissan Murano                        685                      3
    Garmin         Chrysler Town & Country -
                   Garmin                              684                      3
    DENSO
     Corporation  Toyota 4Runner                       680                      3
    DENSO
     Corporation  Toyota Highlander                    680                      3
    MELCO          Mercedes-Benz E-Class
                   Convertible                         679                      3
    Alpine
     Electronics,
     Inc.         Honda CR-V                           676                      3
    DENSO
     Corporation  Land Rover LR4                       673                      3
    Alpine
     Electronics,
     Inc.         Honda CR-Z                           669                      3
    Alpine
     Electronics,
     Inc.         Honda Accord                         664                      3

    DENSO
     Corporation  Toyota Avalon                        659                      2
    Bosch         Nissan Rogue                         657                      2
    DENSO
     Corporation  Toyota Camry Hybrid                  655                      2
    Clarion       Nissan Leaf                          655                      2
    DENSO
     Corporation  Toyota Prius                         654                      2
    MELCO         Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class              654                      2
    Harman        Ram 2500/3500 HD - Harman            652                      2
    TeleNav       Ford Explorer                        651                      2
    TeleNav       Ford Edge                            651                      2
    DENSO
     Corporation  Jaguar XF                            649                      2
    DENSO
     Corporation  Mazda CX-9                           648                      2
    DENSO
     Corporation  Toyota Sienna                        639                      2
    DENSO
     Corporation  Volvo XC60                           638                      2
    Alpine
     Electronics,
     Inc.         Mercedes-Benz M-Class                630                      2
    Alpine
     Electronics,
     Inc.         Mercedes-Benz GL-Class               618                      2
    Alpine
     Electronics,
     Inc.         Jaguar XJ                            617                      2
    MELCO         Volvo XC90                           614                      2
    TeleNav       Lincoln MKX                          612                      2
    DENSO
     Corporation  Toyota RAV4                          591                      2

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company providing forecasting, performance improvement, social media and customer satisfaction insights and solutions. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

McGraw-Hill is a leading global financial information and education company that helps professionals and students succeed in the Knowledge Economy. Leading brands include Standard & Poor's, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Indices, Platts energy information services and McGraw-Hill Education. With sales of $6.2 billion in 2010, the Corporation has approximately 21,000 employees across more than 280 offices in 40 countries. On September 12, 2011, the Corporation announced its intention to separate into two public companies - McGraw-Hill Markets (working name), primarily focused on global capital and commodities markets and McGraw-Hill Education focused on digital learning and education services worldwide. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

J.D. Power and Associates Media Relations Contacts:

John Tews; Troy, Mich.; (248) 312-4119; media.relations@jdpa.com

Syvetril Perryman; Westlake Village, Calif.; (805) 418-8103; media.relations@jdpa.com

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate

SOURCE J.D. Power and Associates