"For so long, Japanese brands have been viewed by many as the gold standard in vehicle quality. While the Japanese automakers continue to make improvements, we’re seeing other brands, most notably Korean makes, really accelerating the rate of improvement," Renee Stephens, vice president of car quality at J.D. Power, said in a release.

The study looked at problems car owners had with vehicles within the first 90 days of ownership.

For the first time since 2012, buyers reported fewer problems in new cars and trucks than the previous year.