Unreliable vehicles have two things in common - useless complexity and careless implementation of new technologies. So say the experts of Consumer Reports, who studied the reliability of the car from various automakers in 2018.
The new Consumer Reports study is based on a survey of more than half a million vehicle owners. It showed that cars that get the worst ratings year after year were just packed with new, high-tech features. And machines that consistently receive the highest scores were almost universally conservative in terms of the application of new technologies.
Introducing you top 10 most unreliable cars of 2018.
10. Dodge Durango
This SUV earned the lowest overall Consumer Reports rating in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016. Malfunctions most often occur in automotive electronics, electrical equipment, brakes, suspension, climate system, fuel system, drive system and engine. The only good news is that the downtrend seems to be slowing. Only one of the Durango models released in the last four years has received the lowest overall rating.
9. Chevrolet Corvette
Over the past four model years (2013-2017), Corvette received an extremely low Consumer Reports reliability rating. His biggest problem was in automotive electronics, but brakes and cooling were also identified by owners as problem areas.
Recognizing the unfortunate trend, Consumer Reports published a predicted reliability rating of "far worse than average" for the 2018 Corvette.
8. Chevrolet Cruze
Due to the popularity of this car around the world, data on its reliability is easy to find. And, unfortunately, for Chevy, this data is not encouraging. From 2011 to 2014, Cruze earned the lowest overall Consumer Reports rating. Unreliable areas include: motor, engine cooling, transmission, climate system, brakes, noise, and oil leaks.
7. Mini Cooper
For five years, this small car received poor grades in Consumer Reports. Some of the most common problems include: oil leakage, breakdowns of the fuel system, electrical system, climate system and brakes.
6. GMC Acadia
The big problem with this full-sized crossover was the climate system, and judging by the latest Consumer Reports poll, it was joined by suspension, brakes and electrical equipment.
Other GMC cars, including the Sierra 2500HD, GMC Terrain, and Yukon XL, also got poor grades, but Acadia was invariably the worst of them.
5. Jeep Grand Cherokee
Since 2010, the American SUV was on the list of unreliable cars, and has not left it until now. Problems arise in many different parts of this car. According to the owners, the situation is worse with automotive electronics, it has the lowest ratings every year. Also often breaks the climate system and transmission Jeep Grand Cherokee.
4. Ford Focus
Another vehicle that suffers from too many technological implementations. One of the most popular cars in the world from 2012 to 2016 received a rating "much lower than average" for its transmission. Other areas of concern included the drive system and automotive electronics.
3. Fiat 500
This car took the first place in the list of the most unreliable passenger cars for four consecutive years - from 2012 to 2015. His list of problem areas is staggering:
- engine, including its cooling;
- Transmission;
- drive system;
- fuel system;
- suspension;
- brakes;
- paint and finish;
- electronics.
Worse, the reliability forecast for the 2018 Fiat 500 range is “much worse than average.”
2. Tesla Model X
Despite the fact that the manufacturer is positioning its electric crossover as one of the most reliable cars in the world, the data collected by Consumer Reports suggests otherwise.
Problem areas include car electronics, noise and oil leakage, electrical equipment, climate control, paint and finishes.
“They have door difficulties, there are too many moving parts,” said Jake Fisher, Director of Auto Testing at Consumer Reports. “Even the seats are complicated. Their problems are associated with unnecessary complexity. "
“Tesla has released three models, and each of them has its own door handle mechanism,” Fisher also said. “And I would say that none of them are as good as what you find at Toyota Corolla.” The price of the Tesla Model X 2018 release starts at 8.8 million rubles, and the cost of the 2018 Corolla release is 933 000 rubles.
Recall that the Tesla Model X received the so-called "falcon wings" - automatic doors that have a fold with a variable angle. Thanks to this, they open upwards, without requiring additional space in the parking lot.
1. Ford Fiesta
This subcompact car received the lowest Consumer Report ratings for six consecutive years from 2011 to 2016. In 2018, he again led the anti-rating of the most unreliable cars. Problem areas include the gearbox, engine, drive system, and automotive electronics.
Jake Fisher believes that the problems are caused by the automaker's focus on new technologies. “Whenever you add complexity, you add potential areas of failure. Therefore, if you are going to add complex functions, you should do it conservatively and methodically, ”he said.
Other common problems observed in the least reliable cars of 2018 are related to the widespread use of nine- and ten-speed transmissions, and complex new infotainment systems.
