Some cars are known for their rock solid reliability, able to withstand endless abuse and rack up miles upon miles on the odometer. Some other brands, however, have the reputation for being unreliable, and causing their owners an endless stream of complaints. According to Consumer Reports, the most well-known and highly regarded consumer product testing magazine, the following list ranks the least-reliable car brands in order.
1) Mini
2) Lincoln
3) Ford
4) Cadillac
5) Dodge
6) Jeep
7) Nissan
8) Hyundai
9) Volkswagen
10) Ram
Consumer Reports determines vehicle reliability according to a combination of professional vehicle testers that analyze the car and come up with a "predicted reliability" score, and, more importantly, according to hundreds of thousands of reports from their reader surveys, where over a million subscribers submit their personal experiences with their cars in an effort to provide the most comprehensive picture of what a car buyer can expect.
Factors that indicate vehicle reliability are assessed based on the following trouble areas, as reported by consumers in a questionnaire sent out to over 8 million subscribers:
- ENGINE MAJOR
- ENGINE MINOR
- ENGINE COOLING
- TRANSMISSION (AND CLUTCH) MAJOR
- TRANSMISSION (AND CLUTCH) MINOR
- DRIVE SYSTEM
- FUEL SYSTEM
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- CLIMATE SYSTEM
- SUSPENSION/STEERING
- BRAKES
- EXHAUST
- PAINT/RUST/TRIM
- BODY INTEGRITY
- BODY HARDWARE
- POWER EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORIES
- AUDIO SYSTEM
If you're experiencing a vehicle problem, or just want more information on your car's potential issues, check out Mechanic Advisor's Vehicle Problems Section to get more information about your car's problem history.
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