It’s Time Seat Manufacturers Get Heads in the Right Place, J.D. Power Finds

Seat comfort and the headrest are two of the top four problem areas in the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study,^SM released today. Vehicle seat manufacturers have worked diligently to improve seat quality and functionality, however, the headrest is one of the top problems for a fifth consecutive year, highlighting the need for adjustments is long overdue. When assessing seat comfort, owners who do not have issue with their headrest have an average of 1.0 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), however, when people do indicate having an issue with a headrest, the indication of “seat excessively uncomfortable” climbs almost six times to 6.7 PP100.

“Headrest adjustability needs to be prioritized by seat manufacturers as it does have an effect on overall seat experience,” said Ashley Edgar, senior director of automotive benchmarking at J.D. Power. “As much as manufacturers can address many of the other aspects of seat quality, overall comfort is lost without a proper headrest.”

Seat quality is measured by the number of problems and level of satisfaction experienced per 100 vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership, with a lower score reflecting higher quality.

The 2024 U.S. Seat Quality and Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 99,144 purchasers and lessees of new 2024 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The study was fielded from July 2023 through May 2024.

For more information about the U.S. Seat Quality Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/automotive/us-seat-quality-and-satisfaction-study.

See the rank charts for each segment at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2024085.

About J.D. Power

J.D. Power is a global leader in automotive data and analytics, and provides industry intelligence, consumer insights and advisory solutions to the automotive industry and selected non-automotive industries. J.D. Power leverages its extensive proprietary datasets and software capabilities combined with advanced analytics and artificial intelligence tools to help its clients optimize business performance.

J.D. Power was founded in 1968 and has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company's business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto-shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: http://www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info

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