Simple Q: Most unreliable car you've ever had?

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Originally Posted by Speak2Mountain
Lord I always thought these Mitsu trucks were decent like the Chevy Luv and Ford Courier

Isuzu did build some long lasting engines in the Luv. I dont know enough about the Courier other than I'm sure it was better than my D50.
 
My first vehicle, a 1996 GMC Sierra. My parents bought it used in 1998 and I drove it all through high school and college and then gave it back to my parents after graduation. It seemed to go through a lot of alternators, fuel pumps, and the little circuit board holding the bulbs for the tail lights but a least all the repairs over the years were cheap and easy to fix stuff. It made it to 300K miles though before someone wrecked into my dad.
 
1976 Pontiac Sunbird I4 coupe with 4 speed manual transmission that ate throw-out bearings like they were jawbreakers and had a stupid coolant jacket on the carbureator supposedly to help vaporize fuel after atomization as some sort of combined emissions control and fuel efficiency device someone dreamed up that in South Texas summer gave fits. That truly came from what Michael Nesmith described as "The Department of Poor Quality and Faulty Engineering at The Large Detroit Car Company".
 
86 Chevrolet Spectrum, made by Isuzu. Bought it new. Chassis was built like a $19 toaster oven. Guzzled oil from day 1. Total garbage.
 
99 Ford Taurus. Major repairs every year. Gave itself gas as it upshifted, so I went through new front brakes every 18 months. Dealer said that was normal. Was OK until 75K miles, then camshaft position sensor, then everything else. Starters, alternators, half shafts, electronics, door switch, a/c, a/c again, a/c again. 3 water pumps. Heat worked poorly, would work for a few months after a back flush then go back to tepid. More front end parts (ends, bushing, joints) than I can count.

Ford replaced a $99 a/c valve with a $400 valve and a/c line hose assembly. The hose assembly had flex joints that leaked refrigerant like a sieve. Thank you, Ford. I spent > $1500 on major repairs (not counting tires and maintenance) every year I owned it for a decade. Every year I thought to myself "I'll get my money out of it now for a year or two and then trade it in" and then I'd spend the trade-in money on the next major repair.

Remember, this was a "Quality is job 1" model year car. Ford, never again.

Friend of mine has an F150, blew a spark plug out of the V8 engine while driving home. He still defends Fords. WHY?
 
2000 Saab 9-5: My wife needed a cheap car and she bought it 14 years old and 160k in for $600, I should have stopped her

It was a charming vehicle but all the problems we inherited were comical, the issues developed faster than i could fix them, it only lasted another 6 months:

not counting regular maintenance:
Both front window regulators broken
Air conditioner didn't work
hazard light button fell through the dash
throttle body going into limp mode - replaced by me
crank position sensor caused no starts - replace by me
thermostat stuck open - replaced by me
engine mounts shot vibrated like crazy - replaced by me
leaking oil out the valve cover gasket
burning oil
exhaust fell off while driving
all the subframe bushings were shot
vacuum hose issues
alarm would go off in the middle of the night until i cut the alarm
coolant leak out some three way valve
the engine overheated when it ran out of coolant before the part arrived in the mail, that might have been a blessing
 
1983 Olds 88 Diesel … fuel system repairs …
Traded on 1985 GMC 2500 Diesel … ran it for 80k (trouble free) and sold when I started getting company vehicles
 
2002 Kia Sportage, Wouldn't touch a Kia or Hyundai with a 10' pole because of it, I know they have changed the quality but that did it for me.
 
Some of the old English cars with positive ground Lucas electrics. The one that stands out in my memory is the 65 Lotus Cortina with its 12v + ground and a generator, the Weber carbs were always acting up on the thing to make matters worse.
Still for all their faults they were some of the coolest and best running cars (when they were running right) I ever owned and had the best interiors and gauges. A tool box in the trunk with a few spares was almost mandatory.
 
2007 Pontiac torrent. Loads of electrical problems. 36100 miles it ate two injectors and some coil packs. Button to open the electric latch on the rear hatch broke making for a fun time to get the hatch open to replace it. Rear wiper motor died and I had to cut out the old one it rusted up so bad. Wiring harness in the driver doors fell to pieces and had to be spliced back together. Switch in the gear shift went bad intermittently locking the keys in the ignition. Every wheel bearing starting at 40k to 80k. Kept shorting out cells in multiple batteries for some reason regardless of brand. Windshield washer pump issues. I think maybe a turn signal issue also. Wheels that were difficult to keep ballaced and collected lots of gravel dust that chunked off when you went through a car wash making you have to take them off and clean them constantly. I am sure there were more issues I have forgot about.

It was the easiest vehicle to change the oil on though. Didn't have to put it on ramps if you didn't want to.
 
Originally Posted by justintendo
Originally Posted by Speak2Mountain
Lord I always thought these Mitsu trucks were decent like the Chevy Luv and Ford Courier



courier was a mazda


and the luv was an isuzu
 
Originally Posted by Chris142
Originally Posted by Speak2Mountain
Lord I always thought these Mitsu trucks were decent like the Chevy Luv and Ford Courier

Isuzu did build some long lasting engines in the Luv. I dont know enough about the Courier other than I'm sure it was better than my D50.


The first s10s had a 1.9 from isuzu and a diesel too!

sad to say this but my wife and I have 2nd gen priusses that are getting annoying:

--Wheel lugs vibrated loose after being tight (with a torque wrench and calibrated arm) and untouched for months.
--12v battery went kablooey without warning. Car started but then stalled out a mile down the road. I cleared its code, something about the inverter/transmission, and drove it home. Both our cars have scan tools in the glove box now.
-- coil pack went bad. Ran on 3 cylinders for a few seconds then it shut down the gas engine. Had about a mile of electric only. Replaced pack, cleared code, back on the road. Carry coil packs now all the time too.

I've had other cars that are more maintenance-intensive, cars that are more expensive to keep up. But "unreliable" means to me that I might randomly get stuck on the side of the road, a far less acceptable situation that ordering parts and fixing an issue a week after diagnosis.
 
My 1984 Fiero 2M4. I've had lots and lots of turds over the years, but that one takes the cake.

It NEVER ran at the right temperature. I could purge air all day long, change stats, clean radiator fins, anything. It either ran too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer.

It got awful mileage for a car that weighs what it does. That Iron Duke might be tough, but it's terrible on fuel.

It started on fire twice. Once was electrical, once when a rod flew through the block and the oil hit the cat.

Fuel pump failed.

None of the gauges worked right. Ever.

It handled like the Kool-Aid man on skis. Downright scary. Yes, I drove it in MN winters.

The heat was a joke. An absolute joke. There was hot air, usually, but the airflow was so weak that there might as well have been no climate control at all.

When it was really hot the TBI would boil and cause a hard hot-restart if you tried to run in to the store quick. You'd have to sit for 15-20 minutes with the hatch open and the air cleaner lid off to get it going.

There were apparently no baffles in the fuel tank, because when it was below 1/4 tank and you took a cloverleaf too fast it would stall out half way through the turn.

I can't believe I had that car as long as I did. And put many miles on it. Not one of them was memorable or pleasant.
 
Originally Posted by Rudy1999 250
1999 Audi A6 i have had some junk vehicles but i have never had one where the spark plug comes out when driving it ?


That was the first generation of automatic cylinder deactivation.
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I haven't had a bad car because I make good choices and because I am lucky. Alas, I may regret gloating very soon!
 
I found my comment from a similar post a few years ago, so I'll just paste it below. Add to the list that it needed front wheel bearings.

2004 VW Beetle TDI w/DSG transmission - Owned for 16 months from 158k-176k (sat in garage for 4 months in the end) - I'll also post the previous repairs that my aunt had, she bought it new and had it meticulously maintained at the dealer. (A good dealer). Some of the repairs I did or had done as well.

-Multiple seat belt sensors, caused airbag light to come on periodically
-Engine coolant temp sensor
-Glow plugs replaced under recall
-High pressure fuel pump replaced under recall (and leaked afterwards)
-Thermostat
~6 CV boots torn
~7 windshields
~6 headlight bulbs
-Windshield washer bottle broke at about 80k miles
-Was on it's 3rd alternator
-Starter replaced
-Lower control arm bushings and upper strut mounts replaced
-Large engine cooling fan died & replaced
-High pressure A/C hose broke off
-Ate a battery every 2 years religiously, last battery made it 8 months though.
-Was on it's 3rd dual mass flywheel (still chattered!)
-Transmission was failing, specifically the mechatronics unit. It CRUNCHED like crazy, and when I say crunch, I mean CRUNCH. It also slipped pretty bad when taking off from a light
-Motor mount replaced
-Camshaft was worn out
-Turbo actuator set check engine light, was able to be cleared. If it stayed on, entire turbo would have had to be replaced
-Airbag light came on, was also able to be cleared. If it stayed on, the leather on the passenger seat would have had to be removed to replace the sensor in the seat.
-Fuse box melted on top of battery
-Door panels completely broke apart. Had to glue and rivet them together ($1000 a piece new)
-Volume knob on stereo failing, left alone ($1,000 for a new one)
-Door speakers quit working. Cost me over $300 for new ones and I rivetted them in myself.
-Tie rods had some play in them, replaced myself with Moogs
-A/C compressor was very very loud in the end and needed replacement
-Blower motor was also very loud
-Seats didn't fold forward 50% of the time
-Sunroof was getting stuck so I quit using it
-I'm sure I'm forgetting lots of stuff. It also rattled like you wouldn't believe

My Jeep is also a trouble maker. But I forgive it because a lot of it's issues are because the parts are original and 23 years old. Like the original starter is cranking slow. I can't be mad at that. When the VW's starter totally failed, it was like 6 years old.
 
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