Q4 2017 Automotive Complaint Analysis Report

I. Overview of complaint data in the fourth quarter of 2017

According to the quality data of the leading domestic automotive product information collection platform for defective vehicles, in the fourth quarter of 2017, a total of 16,057 complaints were received from consumers about auto products, which is the same as the year-on-year growth rates in the third quarter of 2017 and the fourth quarter of 2016. It is 24.2%. The quarterly complaints involved a total of 691 car brands under the 149 automobile brands, an increase of 6 brands and 36 car lines.

Judging from the monthly complaint data in the fourth quarter of 2017, there were 4,905 complaints received in October, 5,560 complaints received in November and 5,592 complaints received in December. It is worth noting that the volume of complaints in the two months after the fourth quarter exceeded 5,000 cases, not only continuously refreshing the highest monthly complaint volume ever recorded by the car quality network, but also indicating that the total amount of domestic auto consumer complaints has entered. A new historical dimension.

On the whole, the fourth quarter complaint presents the following features:

1. Complaints from vehicle owners in 1 month and 1 to 3 months of car purchases increased significantly compared with the third quarter, of which vehicle owners’ complaints within one month of car purchase reached the highest value during the year.

2. The volume of complaints in the fourth quarter increased significantly year-on-year and quarter-on-quarter, and reached the highest point of quarterly complaints in the past two years. At the same time, the year-on-year increase in the volume of complaints in October-December rose significantly from the previous quarter, with the number of complaints in November and December breaking 5,000. It can be seen from this that consumers’ awareness of rights protection is increasing in the face of automotive product quality and service issues, and the means of safeguarding their rights are becoming increasingly rational.

3. Comparing with other country-specific brands, the volume of self-owned brand complaints rose the most in the fourth quarter, nearly 50% from the third quarter, and increased 29.7% from the fourth quarter of 2016. At present, the independent brand has ushered in a good period of rapid development, but do not ignore the quality of the product and thus avoid repeating the mistakes.

4. The number of complaints about quality issues in the fourth quarter increased sharply, which was an increase of 3,997 cases compared to the third quarter, an increase of up to 43.4%, and the relevant automobile manufacturers should pay attention.

5. In the fourth quarter, compact cars were still the most complained vehicles, and the volume of complaints created a record high, which was an increase of 1,396 compared with the third quarter, a sharp increase of 25.2%.

Second, the fourth quarter of 2017 complaint data analysis

(I) Consumer complaints population distribution

The ratio of consumer complaints for men and women in the fourth quarter of 2017 was 89.7:10.3. Men's complaints accounted for a slight increase compared to the third quarter of 2017. Judging from the age distribution, the complaints are still concentrated among consumers aged 26-30, but the proportion is slightly lower in comparison with the third quarter of 2017; the proportion of consumers aged between 18-25 is the percentage of complaints. The increase is obvious, and the main car buyers are getting younger. Judging from the age of the vehicles, the amount of complaints within one month of vehicle use has slightly increased in the third quarter, but the overall amount of complaints is still mainly concentrated in the 1-3 year range of vehicle use.

(II) Analysis of quarterly changes in complaints

As shown in the figure, the car quality network has received more than 10,000 complaints for eight consecutive quarters. In 2017, the quarterly volume of complaints showed an increasing trend. The number of complaints in the fourth quarter of 2017 surged, refreshing the highest quarterly complaints in the car quality network. Record.

(C) analysis of monthly changes in complaints

Specifically, the volume of complaints in each quarter of the fourth quarter also achieved double-digit growth both in the same period and in the same period, and the year-on-year growth rate was significantly higher than that in the third quarter, with the largest year-on-year increase in November.

(4) Analysis of brand type complaints

In the fourth quarter of 2017, the volume of complaints of the three types of brands all increased in different degrees compared to the third quarter. Among them, the largest increase in self-owned brands, the chain rose by nearly 50%, while the proportion also increased by 8 percentage points over the third quarter, and more than 50% of the total complaints. In contrast, the number of complaints from joint venture brands rose by 5.7% month-on-month, but the percentage decreased by 8 percentage points; the volume of complaints from imported brands also increased slightly, but the proportion did not change.

(5) Brand Country Complaints Analysis

In the fourth quarter, the amount of self-owned brand complaints was still far ahead of other national brands, and the volume of complaints rose by nearly 50%. In addition to the German and European systems, other countries’ individual brands had gains of varying degrees, with the largest increase among Japanese companies.

(VI) Analysis of Complaints

Compared with the third quarter of 2017, complaints in the fourth quarter of SUVs and compact cars remain the most concentrated. Among them, the complaint volume of compact cars created a new record for quarterly complaints, surpassing SUVs to continue to lead. In addition, the complaint volume of most other models has increased to varying degrees, among which the medium-to-large-sized vehicles have experienced the largest increase among all models, a significant increase of 45.6%.

(VII) Analysis of Regional Distribution of Complaints

In the fourth quarter of 2017, the complaints received by the car quality network were still mainly concentrated in Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Shandong provinces, and the ranking was consistent with the third quarter of 2017. Among them, the complaint volumes in Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces were relatively close, showing a large increase over the previous period and accounting for more than 10%. In Shandong Province, which ranked third, the number of complaints in the fourth quarter still exceeded 1,000, and the proportion remained basically unchanged. .

(8) Analysis of complaint types

The proportion of complaints on auto quality issues in the fourth quarter increased significantly compared with the previous quarter, which was an increase of 43.4% compared with the third quarter of 2017, accounting for an increase of 11 percentage points. In addition, the number of complaints about service issues also increased by a certain margin, which represented an increase of 290 cases or an increase of 36.4% compared with the third quarter of 2017. This shows that service problems are still prominent in this quarter.

(9) Analysis of types of complaints on quality issues

In quality complaints, complaints against body accessories and electrical systems continued to be the highest, reaching 9736, an increase of 25.7% month-on-month; complaints on transmission problems remained second, and complaints were 5,160, up 37.2% from the previous quarter. The number of complaints for the third-ranked engine system was 5014, which also showed an upward trend from the same period of last year, which was a 42% increase. The number of complaints for the transmission system was 3,135, a decrease of 5.2% from the previous quarter. Among the other quality complaints, except for the decrease in the number of clutch complaints, the balance has increased from the previous quarter. Statistics show that the top 20 complaints in the third quarter have exceeded 300 cases of typical fault complaints, of which gearbox noise and gearbox setbacks have exceeded 1,000 complaints. In addition, the different allocation problems in the same quarter that emerged in the fourth quarter became the fourth most typical failure, with close to 900 complaints.

(10) Analysis of complaint types of service issues

Among the service-related complaints, there were 1176 cases of service attitude problems ranked first in the fourth quarter, a decrease of 21% from the previous quarter. The number of complaints about sales fraud increased by nearly a hundred, and jumped to the second place in the list of service-related issues. After a horizontal comparison among countries, it was found that the highest proportion of sales fraud complaints were German brands, followed by independent brands; the country brands with the highest share of complaints on service attitudes once again fell on top of European brands. It is worth mentioning that, on the issue of accessories disputes, the proportion of Korean brand complaints is 30.2%, which is much higher than other national brands. According to the car quality network data, the main reason for this phenomenon is that a Korean-based joint venture The impact of black screen problems in the brand models.

(11) Analysis of complaints response rate

As one of the leading defective vehicle product information collection platforms in China, one of the ultimate goals of Car Quality Network is to build a channel to coordinate the smooth resolution of disputes between manufacturers and consumers. Therefore, whether or not manufacturers take consumer complaints seriously and actively provide solutions is an indicator that we value very much.

In the third quarter of 2017, there were a total of 50 manufacturers with a complaint response rate of 90% or more, an increase of 7 companies from the previous quarter and an increase of 3 companies from the same period last year. Among them, there were 28 companies that responded to 100% of complaints, an increase of 6 companies from the previous quarter, and a decrease of 4 companies from the same period last year. As shown in the above table, the attitudes and importance of the positive attitudes of the manufacturers on the list of consumers are worth encouraging.

(12) Analysis of satisfaction with complaints

After receiving the complaint, the manufacturer gives the corresponding solution and makes a reply, which represents the importance of the manufacturer's attention to the consumer's appeal. However, whether the problem is really solved and whether consumers are satisfied with it, the response rate cannot directly draw an equal sign. The average satisfaction score of each brand in the third quarter of 2017 was 2.7 points, a decrease of 0.1 points from the third quarter. However, there were 32 satisfaction-average scores and above, two fewer than in the third quarter. As shown in the above table, the attitude and solutions of the above car companies in the fourth quarter of 2017 have been approved by consumers.

Third, the third quarter of 2017 complaints and failures resolved

As mentioned above, the quality complaints in the fourth quarter of 2017 are mainly focused on body accessories and electrical appliances, engines and gearbox systems. However, issues such as rust, car odor, abnormal steering noise, and abnormal brake sound are also worthwhile. attention. The following is an analysis of the typical complaints in this quarter.

1, engine complaint analysis

According to the data, in the fourth quarter, the number of self-owned brands accounted for the highest percentage of complaints concerning engine failures in various countries, accounting for 53% of the total number of complaints, which was an increase of 8 percentage points from the third quarter (accounting for 45%). In engine failure complaints, engine abnormal sound issues have the highest number of complaints. In addition, the jitter, noise, burning oil and oil leakage problems are among the top five engine failures. Judging from the issue of complaints, the problem of engine abnormal noise in the fourth quarter is still mainly concentrated in the self-owned brand models. The problems in the current few self-owned brand models are more obvious. In addition, there has been an increase in engine jitter, oil leakage, and burning oil complaints. The problem of loud noise has risen this quarter. Compared with the third quarter, it has added 315 new complaints, and the new complaints have been mainly concentrated in the auto models sold by a certain independent brand.

2, transmission complaints analysis

In the fourth quarter of 2017, transmission noise problems remained the most, with 1,674 complaints, a 38.7% increase from the previous quarter. The problem of gearbox setbacks The number of complaints in the quarter exceeded 1,000, a significant increase, a 91.5% increase over the previous quarter. In addition, the volume of complaints on oil spills and shakes also increased significantly from the previous quarter, and jumped to the fourth and fifth position of TOP5 transmission failures.

From a country perspective, complaints from independent brands accounted for the largest proportion, which represented a 16 percentage point increase over the third quarter (44%), while the proportion of American brand complaints fell by 7 percentage points from the third quarter (accounting for 25%). From the perspective of typical faults, the problem of gearbox stalls in the fourth quarter witnessed the largest quarter-on-quarter increase, with the number of complaints exceeding 1,000 for the first time and the number of complaints exceeding one thousand, ranking second in the fourth quarter. Such problems are mainly concentrated in the car models of an independent brand, and are involved in the 6-speed manual transmission and the DCT dual-clutch transmission.

3, clutch complaint analysis

According to the car quality network data, the number of complaints about clutch abnormal sound in the fourth quarter of 2017 was 331, which is still the most typical failure of the clutch, which was 15.6% lower than the previous month. Analyzed from a country-specific perspective, complaints from independent brands accounted for 55%, a decrease of 1 percentage point from the third quarter (56%), and the percentage of other country-specific brand complaints was basically the same as in the third quarter. For the previously reported, a certain American-owned joint venture brand manual transmission models will experience abnormal noise during semi-clutching, especially when lifting clutch pedals, metal impact noise will appear. This quarter is still not properly resolved, resulting in complaints from US-based brands. The share of the ratio has not changed from the previous month, and it still maintains a high proportion. It is worth noting that the clutch burnout fault still appears in the TOP5 clutch fault, and the number of complaints in the previous quarter has increased by 13 cases. The fault is mainly concentrated in some of the hot brands of the independent brands.

4, steering system complaint analysis

The data shows that in the fourth quarter, the steering system complaints mainly focused on the issue of abnormal sound. 567 complaints rose more than the third quarter and rose by 29.5% from the previous quarter. From a country perspective, the proportion of self-owned brand complaints is still far ahead of other national brands, but it accounts for a drop of 4 percentage points in the third quarter. In contrast, the proportion of American brands increased by 7 percentage points.

5, brake system complaints analysis

In the fourth quarter of 2017, in the brake system fault complaints, the abnormal brake sound became the main complaint fault of the project, with 534 complaints. The data shows that complaints are mainly concentrated in self-owned brand vehicles. The main cause of abnormal brake noise is caused by abnormal abrasion of the brake discs or material problems of the discs, especially after the grooves are worn out in the brake discs. The problem of ringing will be more pronounced. Brake pump failure issues The volume of complaints this quarter has increased significantly and jumped to TOP5 brake failures. In addition, the complaints of soft brakes and brake failures raised significantly compared with the third quarter. These two types of faults and brake pump failures were mainly concentrated on the SUV models of a Japanese joint venture brand, and relevant manufacturers should pay attention to them.

6. Complaint analysis of front and rear axles and suspension systems

In the front and rear axle and suspension system complaints, self-owned brands accounted for 76% of the total in the third quarter, up from 6 percentage points. It can be said that the suspension problem has become the “soft underbelly” of independent brands. Among them, the issue of abnormal sounding of shock absorbers is still on the top of TO5 failures, with an increase of more than 200 complaints from the previous quarter, mainly concentrated on some of the hot-selling self-owned brand SUV models. Relevant complaints show that when some self-owned brand SUV models walk through the pit road in normal driving, the shock absorber will emit a "click" sound, accompanied by body vibration, and it can be seen that the independent brand in the damping spring and damper tuning There is still much room for improvement.

7, tire complaints analysis

The amount of complaints about tires in the fourth quarter increased steadily. The number of tire cracking, skinning, and bulging problems in the top three tires rose to varying degrees from the third quarter. It is worth noting that the tires issue is no longer the “US dominance” of the American brand. In the fourth quarter, the independent brands also exposed some tire problems, and the proportion of complaints is the same as that of American brands. In addition, the proportion of legal brand complaints increased by 1 percentage point month-on-month. The complaints were mainly concentrated on the cracking of tires. The problem of a large number of cracks in the tyres of a certain joint-venture joint venture brand reported by some previous owners was not properly resolved. Instead, it has seen double growth, which should cause deep reflections from relevant manufacturers.

8, body accessories and electrical complaints analysis

Since 2017, the number of complaints on body accessories and electrical appliances has continued to climb. The number of complaints in the fourth quarter has reached 9736, a sharp increase of 25.7% from the previous quarter, and ranked first in the eight major system quality complaints. Among them, the new configuration issues of the same model jumped to the top of the TOP5 body accessories and electrical faults, and related complaints were concentrated in a model of a self-owned sedan. In response to complaints from car owners, relevant companies have made an explanation through the car quality network. At present, the amount of complaints about this issue has been significantly reduced. In addition, the problem of body rust in this quarter exceeded the odor in the car to the second place in TOP5. The problem was still mainly concentrated in the self-owned brand models. In the process of the collective brand upwards, there was still such a “dragging” problem. It is not proper for the relevant manufacturers to reflect and respond positively. It is worth mentioning that the audio/video system failure “has plunged into the TOP5 body accessories and electrical appliance failure list this quarter. The complaints are mainly concentrated in the SUV model of a US-based joint venture brand and a sedan model of a Korean joint venture brand. Still not properly resolved.