Peterbilt ranked highest in customer satisfaction among conventional cab medium-duty trucks and Chevrolet ranked highest in medium-duty truck dealer service satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Medium-Duty Truck Customer Satisfaction Study.
The study measured customer satisfaction among 2004 model-year conventional cab medium-duty trucks. J.D. Power noted that 2004 trucks were the second model year impacted by the 2002 Consent Decree that mandated lower engine emissions level. Not all brands had the newer emissions technology, and the study did not take into consideration which brands did or did not have it.
J.D. Power considers four factors in determining overall satisfaction: vehicle performance, quality, cost of ownership and warranty.
Peterbilt performed well across all factors, J.D. Power said, having received the highest ratings in vehicle performance and total cost of ownership.
In truck dealer service satisfaction, Chevrolet performed well in service initiation, service advisor and cost.
Brand loyalty among medium-duty truck owners declined for a second consecutive year. In 2006, 35% of customers indicated they “definitely would” repurchase the same truck brand, compared with 40% in 2005 and 45% in 2006.
