The Michelin brand was ranked number one in three out of four segments in J.D. Power and Associates' "2009 Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study." The Goodyear brand finished first in the other segment.
According to the study, Michelin ranked highest in the luxury, passenger car and truck/utility segments, while Goodyear ranked highest in the performance sport segment. Each brand was rated on four factors per segment to measure tire owner satisfaction: wearability, appearance, traction/handling and ride.
Rankings were based on the owners’ experiences with their tires after two years of ownership.
The customer satisfaction results were as follows (above average rankings are italicized):
Luxury segment
1. Michelin
2. Pirelli
3. Continental
4. Bridgestone
5. Dunlop
6. Goodyear
Passenger Car segment
1. Michelin
2. Pirelli
3. Continental
4. Hankook
5. Yokohama
6.Goodyear
7. Firestone
8. Bridgestone
9. Kumho
10. Dunlop
Performance Sports segment
1. Goodyear
2. Michelin
3. Continental
4. Bridgestone
Truck/Utility segment
1. Michelin
2. Pirelli
3. Goodyear
4. Bridgestone
5. BFGoodrich
6. Dunlop
7. Continental
8. General
“These latest awards once again encourage everyone at Michelin to continue our work and innovation to meet the needs of the customer,” says Tom Chubb, vice president of original equipment marketing for Michelin North America Inc.
In the luxury, passenger car and truck/utility segments, Michelin performed particularly well in wearability, according to J.D. Power. Goodyear ranked highest in wearability in the performance sport segment.
The study found that experiencing problems during the first two years of ownership can have a major negative impact on overall customer satisfaction.
“Problems caused by road hazards and punctures are most common, but since consumers understand that tire manufacturers have little control over road conditions, this has relatively little effect on owner satisfaction,” says Allison LaDuc, senior research manager of automotive product quality at J.D. Power and Associates.
“Tire wear problems have a considerable impact on satisfaction. Improving performance in this key area may help mitigate other problems or issues customers may face.”
The "2009 Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study" is based on responses from nearly 30,000 new-vehicle owners who purchased a 2007 or 2008 model year vehicle. The study was fielded between October and December 2008.
