Ram burnished its 2022 lineup with the new Uconnect 5 infotainment system that puts an emphasis on personalization for passengers.

But the added bells and whistles came with a cost for the truck brand in the latest J.D. Power Initial Quality Study.

Ram dropped from first place in the 2021 rankings to No. 18 this year after being dinged in the infotainment category that has perplexed many automakers in the era of touch screens and voice controls. J.D. Power said it was the largest fall ever for a brand that led the industry the previous year.

Infotainment hiccups slammed other manufacturers as well in 2022, accounting for six of the top 10 problem areas in the J.D. Power study. Consumers complained about Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, built-in voice recognition, difficulties with touch screens and other display screens, and built-in Bluetooth systems.

David Amodeo, J.D. Power’s director of global automotive, said Ram is experiencing similar growing pains with its updated infotainment setup that other brands have gone through.

“We traditionally think of newly launched vehicles as being something that was a complete redesign, but in today’s day and age, just a software redesign can have as big of an impact as redesigning the entire vehicle,” Amodeo told Automotive News. Ram “introduced some new software [and is] working through the bugs. If history is any guide, they’ll shoot back up to a much higher spot next year.”

It was a tough year for Ram parent Stellantis in the study. Dodge, which maintained its lofty No. 2 position with an aging lineup, was the company’s only brand to score better than average in problems per vehicle.

Jeep, after delivering a flurry of product redesigns and new models, dropped from eighth in the 2021 study to No. 23. Amodeo said brands tend to take a hit when they launch new models or debut significant redesigns.

Chrysler finished last again, with Maserati third from the bottom and Alfa Romeo only a few spots above that.

Stellantis said it is always looking for ways to improve the customer experience and pointed to its stronger showings in past IQS results.

“We regularly consult J.D. Power data for greater insight into our vehicle performance,” a Stellantis spokesman said in a statement. “As such, we are constantly monitoring and responding with actions to improve our customer experience. Other recent IQS results demonstrate our capacity to deliver the outstanding level of execution our customers demand and deserve.”

Ram should be able to stop its slide in the rankings because software quirks can usually be handled with over-the-air updates, Amodeo said.

Brian Moody, executive editor of Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, said the industry has run into problems with infotainment because manufacturers are trying to balance many tasks.

“Infotainment systems continue to be a real challenge for the industry, as there are so many competing interests for infotainment — dashboard real estate, other vehicle functions, safety concerns, and on and on,” Moody said. “I tend to believe that too many virtual controls are not as desirable as a simple collection of hard buttons and switches. The more automakers try to marry vehicle controls with nonessential information and entertainment features, the worse it gets.”

Stellantis debuted Uconnect 5 in the 2021 Chrysler Pacifica and has been steadily introducing it to other models. It runs on an Android-based operating system and has processing speeds five times faster than the previous version.

The fifth generation enables two simultaneous Bluetooth phone connections, aiding people who carry multiple phones and allowing passengers to interact with the system in addition to the driver.

Moody, who has spent time with Uconnect 5 in the Pacifica, said the technology “is a good example of something that you have to live with for a few weeks” to get used to.

“I remember being unsatisfied with the Chrysler system initially, until I realized it had so many user-customizable features that I had not set up properly,” Moody said. “There’s really no such thing as skipping the owner’s manual these days, or relying on education from the dealers. These systems are mostly robust and don’t break down or freeze up, but until you learn to use them properly, they can be initially unsatisfactory.”