Modern Cars Are More Reliable, But Their Screens Are Driving Owners Crazy

There was a time when car reliability meant one simple thing: would the engine start in the morning, or would you have to open the hood, stare at it with authority, and pretend you knew what the problem was?

Modern cars are different. Most of them are mechanically better than anything our parents drove. Engines last longer, transmissions are smoother, rust is less of a horror story, and many owners can go years without seeing a real mechanical failure. Yet somehow, plenty of drivers are still annoyed with their cars.

The problem is not always under the hood anymore. Increasingly, it is in the dashboard.

J.D. Power's 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study makes that point pretty clearly. The industry average reached 204 problems per 100 vehicles, the highest level since the study was redesigned in 2022. That does not necessarily mean modern cars are falling apart. It means owners are reporting more things that do not work the way they should, especially as vehicles become more software-defined.

Infotainment remains one of the biggest trouble spots. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity was the most reported industry problem for the third year in a row, according to J.D. Power. Bluetooth, wireless charging pads, connected apps, and software updates also gave owners reasons to mutter things their children probably should not repeat.

That is the strange irony of the modern car. The engine may be perfectly healthy, the suspension may be fine, and the brakes may work exactly as intended. But if your phone refuses to connect, your screen freezes, or the car insists on installing an update that changes nothing noticeable, the ownership experience still feels broken.

This also helps explain why brands like Lexus continue to perform so well. Lexus vehicles are not always the flashiest in the infotainment race, but that may be part of the point. A slightly less dramatic screen is easier to forgive when it simply works. Sometimes, the best technology is the kind that does not require a family meeting before every road trip.

The study also showed that gas-powered vehicles still had fewer reported problems than hybrids, battery-electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrids. That gives traditional powertrains another small victory lap, right around the time the 2027 Chevy Silverado just reminded everyone the V8 pickup isn't dead yet.

For families, dependability still matters just as much as safety. Subaru recently became the brand parents should notice for teen drivers, but any parent knows that a safe car also needs to be a car that works without drama on a school morning.

The lesson is not that technology is bad. It is that automakers may have solved many of the old mechanical headaches only to replace them with digital ones. Cars no longer need to leak oil on the driveway to test your patience. Sometimes, all they need is a touchscreen and a phone that refuses to shake hands.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Gear section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 7:50 AM.