J.D. Power: 35% Never Try Passenger Screens, 6% Always Do

Passenger screens occupy some of the most prominent space in newer vehicle interiors, but many owners barely use them. In J.D. Power’s 2026 U.S. Tech Experience Index Study, 35% of owners whose vehicles had a passenger screen said they had never tried it. Just 6% said they used the screen every time they drove.

The study, based on responses from 68,084 owners after 90 days with new 2026 model-year vehicles, evaluated 40 consumer-facing technologies. Passenger screens ranked among the most problematic, at 21.3 reported problems per 100 vehicles, and some vehicles equipped with them also had higher rates of infotainment problems in J.D. Power’s initial-quality research. The findings present a clear product-development tension: Automakers are dedicating hardware, software and dashboard area to displays that a large share of their intended users ignore.

Background technology performed better

Owners responded more favorably to technology that operated with little active input. Smart ignition ranked highest for overall satisfaction and produced 2.4 reported problems per 100 vehicles, one of the study’s lowest problem counts. Smart climate control and stored driver preferences also combined high satisfaction with relatively few problems.

“The technology customers value most is often the technology they barely notice because it simply works,” said Doron Hikry, J.D. Power director of customer success. He contrasted ignition and climate functions that simplify recurring tasks with additional screens and automation that can demand more attention without necessarily improving the experience.

This comparison does not establish that every dashboard display is unwanted. A central screen can consolidate navigation, media and vehicle settings, while passenger-screen use may depend on vehicle type, trip length and whether a passenger is present. J.D. Power also found passenger screens were more common and more actively used in premium vehicles. The results nevertheless indicate that adding display area does not by itself create utility.

More screen brings a larger integration burden

A passenger display is not an isolated component. It adds graphics processing, software states, communications links, user profiles and interactions with the vehicle’s broader infotainment architecture. Its value therefore depends not only on whether the panel works, but also on startup behavior, responsiveness, connectivity and the clarity of its controls.

J.D. Power’s separate 2026 multimedia quality study reinforces that broader reliability constraint. Based on 78,514 purchasers and lessees, it found multimedia was the only major vehicle category to deteriorate year over year. Multimedia accounted for 25% of all reported vehicle problems, with 42.4 problems per 100 vehicles. Five of the industry’s most frequently reported problems were infotainment-related.

Those figures do not prove that screen size alone causes every software or connectivity complaint, nor do they provide defect rates for individual models. They do show that infotainment remains a substantial quality burden as manufacturers add software-dependent features. A rarely used passenger display must justify that integration cost against functions owners use routinely.

Greater automation also failed to guarantee greater satisfaction

The same pattern appeared in driver assistance. Owners rated conventional Level 2 systems, which require hands on the wheel and eyes on the road, above more automated Level 2 Plus systems for execution and overall experience. Level 2 Plus can permit hands-off operation under specified road and operating conditions, but it still assists rather than replaces the driver.

The more automated systems actually produced a slightly lower problem count 13.8 per 100 vehicles versus 14.3 for Level 2 yet did not deliver a better overall experience. Hikry said owners may currently be more comfortable with systems that clearly assist them than with those introducing a greater degree of automation.

That distinction matters for interface engineering. Technical capability, reported reliability and perceived value are separate measures. A feature can function as designed and still impose too much learning, supervision or interaction for the benefit owners receive. Against that standard, the passenger-screen result is unusually stark: More than one owner in three never tried the feature, while only six in 100 made it part of every drive.

By Thomas Caldwell — AMI’s senior editor for mechanical and mobility engineering, covering vehicle electronics, systems integration, electrification, chassis systems, propulsion, and safety policy.