J.D. Power study reveals that 35% of owners with a passenger screen say they’ve never used it.
Only 6% use the passenger display every time they drive.
Described as among the "most problematic technologies," passenger screens recorded 21.3 problems per 100 vehicles.
For better or worse, passenger displays have become increasingly common. They used to be primarily reserved for luxury automakers, but even mainstream cars are beginning to get one these days. While automakers keep adding screens to new cars, a new J.D. Power study suggests that an extra touchscreen might be a technology that customers don't necessarily want.
They're often presented as a way to give the front passenger something to do while the driver focuses on the road, as if the smartphone in everyone’s pocket hasn’t been invented. Features range from streaming video and web browsing to controlling navigation and other vehicle functions. There's just one problem: Many owners apparently don't care.
