Vocational owners report more reliable engines; Mercedes tops list

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — More vocational truck owners are satisfied with their heavy-duty engines this year from the year before, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Heavy-Duty Truck Engine and Transmission Study.

The study found that satisfaction with heavy-duty engines was 733 on a 1,000-point scale, a modest improvement from last year’s 725. Engines, which are two years old, are scored on quality, performance and cost of ownership, which all showed improvement from 2008.

In addition, engine problems were less common this year, dropping to 40 percent of customers with heavy-duty engine problems, the lowest since 2005 — as was the percentage of customers with engine-related downtime.

"The decline in engine-related problems is a testament to the engine manufacturer’s focus on quality, particularly when you consider the environment in which these engines were produced," said Brian Etchells, senior research manager at J.D. Power and Associates. "During the 2007 model year, sales volumes increased to near-record levels as customers sought to purchase trucks prior to the introduction of emission reduction technologies on 2008 model-year trucks. Plants were adding shifts and struggling to fill orders, but despite these challenges, quality actually improved."

Mercedes-Benz ranked highest in customer satisfaction with vocational trucks with heavy-duty engines for the second year in a row, with a score of 765. The manufacturer performs particularly well in the engine quality, engine cost of ownership and engine warranty factors.

Mercedes-Benz was followed by Cummins and Caterpillar engines, respectively.