Is there such a thing as an unreliable U.S. new car today?

[jeepman3071]

Seems everyone has their own biased opinion on which brands are junk. I have a friend who won't buy another Honda CR-V because her door window motor had to be replaced, and I also have a coworker who raves about how awesome her Chevy Equinox has been, even after dropping $10k+ on a new engine when the 3.6L bit the dust from timing chain failure at 80k miles.

 

[wag123]

Fiat has had some desirable cars like the 124 Spider Abarth.

Which was manufactured in Japan by Mazda (with a Fiat engine) alongside the Miata.

People are bringing up Fiat, but they do t sell new cars in the USA that I know of.

The Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X twins as well as the new Dodge Hornet are manufactured in Italy by Fiat/Alfa Romeo. So are some of the Jeep Compasses. I rented a Compass for a week a couple of years ago, it was a miserable vehicle.

When Fiat came back to the USA a few years ago I predicted that it wasn't going to go well for them. I was correct.

 

[zzyzzx]

if you were a low mileage driver (like me) and drove like an old lady (like me) and were a stickler for maintenance (like me) ... shouldn't the majority of today's vehicles last many miles?

Yes, probably.

I think all the proverbial extra bells and whistles added recently make all cars less reliable. That and weight saving features (especially plastic parts that should be metal).

 

[dfarr67]

Seems everyone has their own biased opinion on which brands are junk. I have a friend who won't buy another Honda CR-V because her door window motor had to be replaced, and I also have a coworker who raves about how awesome her Chevy Equinox has been, even after dropping $10k+ on a new engine when the 3.6L bit the dust from timing chain failure at 80k miles.

I do have issue with honda's rear parking brake calipers which last 2-4 years.

 

[atikovi]

I think all the proverbial extra bells and whistles added recently make all cars less reliable. That and weight saving features (especially plastic parts that should be metal).

I hear ya. Like dem newfangled CD players these modern cars have. No thanks. Gimme back my 8-tracks.

 

[Blueshound]

Nothing is ever 100% reliable. All you can do is play the averages and keep up with maintenance.

On average new vehicles seem to get more reliable as to basic function every year.

However the fiddly bits get more and more expensive to fix when they break. There are going to be a lot of cars in 20 years of all makes and models that still run but have no radio, HVAC and the sunroof leaks.

 

[SR20DE]

No mention of JD Power surveys? EVs are simpler than ICE cars but Tesla is still a relative fledgling auto manufacturer. Land Rover takes the worst spot, no surprise.

https://www.jdpower.com/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/image/2023-02/2023011a.JPG

https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2023-us-vehicle-dependability-studyvds

 

[wavinwayne]

Several folks have talked about how bad the small Jeeps apparently are. I've owned the one in my sig line (my son's) for a little over a year. It needed a new thermostat at 75K miles, which isn't great, but has otherwise been reliable. I don't know what problems, if any, the original owner had with it.

 

[Kira]

I'd like to see a dividing line between breakdowns caused by new technology vs common wearout, neglect or abuse.

Weren't the first J-tronic fuel injection systems in the 1950's trouble prone? Fuel injectors got better later.
Weren't the first CVTs weak? They appear to be improving.
Weren't there more sunroof leaks years ago? just askin' about that one.

I'd just love to know how many reliability issues wouldn't've happened but for the rush to market.
And making cheap, cheapened or ill-designed parts is a huge part too.

 

[incognito_2u]

“Is there such a thing as an unreliable U.S. new car today?“​

Yes……..one’s that haven’t been properly maintained and driven.
Just saying………

 

[SC Maintenance]

Define reliable? For me it will last a long time with basic maintenance repairs and never leave me stranded. Random minor repairs are inevitable.

Nissan has come up twice already, but the statistics show even there middle of the pack. Also Nissan makes some of the cheapest cars available hence it would be expected they wouldn't be the most reliable.

Of the 3 vehicles in my footer - the Toyota which is the BITOG best OEM - has had more warranty work done than the two Nissan's combined - and its still in warranty. My Fronty is 12 years, 156K and has had ZERO problems at all. The Xterra is at 392,000 with only expected problems. All have problems at some point.

However none have left me stranded and none have had anything really that unexpected, so I consider all of them reliable.

I would say generically yes - just about everything is to some degree reliable dependant on how you define it. I would avoid a CVT and GDI if I could - getting harder. And the cheaper car you buy, the faster the interior and stuff will fall apart. I consider that normal - can't expect a 18K versa interior to last as long as something costing double.

 

[930.engineering]

Is there such a thing as an unreliable U.S. new car today?

TESLA
.

 

[pbm]

I hear ya. Like dem newfangled CD players these modern cars have. No thanks. Gimme back my 8-tracks.

I'm happy with an AM/FM radio and CD player but when 20% of my owners manual is devoted to the 'infotainment system'....I don't need such complication.

 

[IndyIan]

Not too many totally fail stopping you dead during warranty anymore, but that's been true for quite a while.
I would consider a car unreliable that's got some fundamental engineering flaws where components fail much earlier than they should.
The Hyundai, RAM ecodiesel, GM engines with LSPI or timing chain problem engines that kill them below 100k miles seem pretty unreliable to me though.
For engines and transmissions, I think 200k miles without replacement or major repair is a good standard for being reliable. Other stuff can fail a bit earlier and hopefully most of the car is good well beyond 200k.

 

[BHopkins]

I know it's relative, but if you were a low mileage driver (like me) and drove like an old lady (like me) and were a stickler for maintenance (like me) ... shouldn't the majority of today's vehicles last many miles?

I've read the smaller JEEP SUV's were borderline junk, however, we had a Compass as a company vehicle that approached 100k trouble free miles. I'd be leery of a Fiat, but they're a tiny part of the U.S. market now.

Can't really think of any brand new junkers on the market.

This is a subject that I've pondered a few times. I've lived long enough to see, what seems like a full spectrum of car reliability. I often wonder, if you compare almost any modern car, to say a 1976 Ford Pinto or Chevy Vega, or almost any Chrysler product from the late '70's, wouldn't the modern cars seem extremely reliable? Better interior? Less body rust? Better paint jobs? Better fit and finish? Significantly less power powertrain maintenance?

And then the question you raise, of how car maintenance affects reliability. It has been my observation that, when I see a car broken down on the side of the highway, more often that not it appears that the car has been neglected. If all the reliability data had to be based upon cars that are maintained at a minimum to the manufacturer's recommended service interval, what would the data look like?

Except for Mercedes, I wouldn't own any of the cars on that @slacktide_bitog listed, without a warranty. But is that at least in part because my expectations for reliability are different than they were 40 years ago? Or are modern cars so complex that systems fail, and some models are more expensive to fix?

Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Jaguar, Land Rover/Range Rover, Mercedes, BMW

 

[wings&wheels]

Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Jaguar, Land Rover/Range Rover, Mercedes, BMW

Bringing up the bottom of most 'experts' reliability lists.....and I have or would gladly own most of them!

 

[Trav]

Which was manufactured in Japan by Mazda (with a Fiat engine) alongside the Miata.

The new ones are made by Mazda and they are nice but the originals were even nicer, the ones with the twin cam engine was a stunner.

 

[Powerglide56]

Thats why I’m sticking with my oil leakin, perfect running ‘95 Geo Prizm with cold air, a few rattles and a third paint job Bought it for $1900 in 2008. Now has 253K miles on factory motor and transmission. I consider it disposable really. But in todays environment. It’s somewhat of A gem.

 

[andrew_j]

All new cars are junk. If auto makers can save 50 cents on a part inside the engine or transmission that will last through the warranty period but unlikely to last much beyond 100,000 miles, they gladly will.

Asking for a friend why our 2018 VW Tiguan with 141k on factory parts?

 

[CKN]

All new cars are junk. If auto makers can save 50 cents on a part inside the engine or transmission that will last through the warranty period but unlikely to last much beyond 100,000 miles, they gladly will.

Spoken by somebody who makes a living selling VERY WELL USED vehicles.