Infotainment systems the most common new car problem

According to world's largest automotive product-testing organisation, in-car electronics and infotainment glitches are generating more complaints than any other in brand-new cars.

The 'Consumer Reports Annual Auto Reliability Survey' has seen a shift in the reporting of complaints from new car owners away from mechanical issues and towards those relating to "multi-function, cross-linked infotainment systems and the associated in-car electronics," says Consumer Reports.

The issue is "a growing reliability plague for many brands", asserts the research company.

Lexus was the most reliable brand according to the survey, a company which is increasingly favouring its 'Remote Touch' mouse-like input system (pictured).

Toyota was second, Mazda third, Honda fourth and Audi fifth overall.

Consumer Reports (CR) observed that findings in previous years' surveys revealed problems such as unresponsive touch screens or troublesome Bluetooth issues, but that this year they have been "joined by other problems" such as "multi-use controllers that don't function properly".

Furthermore, CR says that electronic issues can often lead to other problems.

"Infotainment system problems generally don't exist in a vacuum," said Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing at CR. "A close look at the results suggests that cars with a lot of in-car electronic issues usually have plenty of other troubles, too."

Nissan's luxury brand Infiniti received the highest number of complaints in regards to the infotainment system, the Q50 the poorest performer, with one in five owners reporting an issue. In the overall standings, Infiniti dropped 14 spots from the sixth most reliable brand to the 20th.

The Consumer Reports Annual Auto Reliability Survey spans 12 months and polls CR subscribers (roughly 8 million of them) who have major problems with their cars, which are categorised into 17 areas. The company gathers data on 248 different vehicles and "the survey is the largest of its kind" says the company, with the 2014 edition's data resulting from 1.1 million vehicles.

Each manufacturer had a best and worst model, with seventh placed Subaru's best car being the Forester, and least reliable the BRZ. Over at Hyundai, which polled in 13th place overall, its worst car was the Santa Fe, it’s best car the Azura (a modern day Grandeur). Ninth-placed Porsche's worst car was the 911, its best the Cayman. Check out the second image for more details.

Top 20 most reliable brands in 2014
1.    Lexus
2.    Toyota
3.    Mazda
4.    Honda
5.    Audi
6.    Buick
7.    Subaru
8.    Scion
9.    Porsche
10.    Kia
11.    Acura
12.    Volvo
13.    Hyudai
14.    BMW
15.    Lincoln
16.    Nissan
17.    Volkswagen
18.    Cadillac
19.    GMC
20.    Infiniti