High-Tech Car Dashboards Irritate Drivers, U.S. Survey Shows

Driven by Tesla-envy, automakers are racing to create dashboards dominated by big screens with multi-layered, digital menus and a minimum of physical buttons and knobs, Reuters Auto File reported.

Photo Insert: Tesla’s overall dependability score was below the industry average because of complaints about Autopilot-assisted driving features and issues such as wind and road noise.

Trouble is, customers don’t like them. Complaints about infotainment systems dominated the gripes from US owners of three-year-old vehicles captured by market research firm J.D. Power’s latest survey of vehicle dependability.

Demerits for infotainment systems dragged down overall scores for several luxury vehicle brands. Owners of cheaper vehicles from mass-market brands such as Kia were happier than owners of Audis and Land Rovers.

Over-the-air upgrades that fix infotainment system glitches do improve customer satisfaction, Power senior director Frank Hanley said.

Compared to rivals, OTA leader Tesla did better on infotainment system issues. But Tesla’s overall dependability score was below the industry average because of complaints about Autopilot-assisted driving features and issues such as wind and road noise.

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