What was the most UNRELIABLE car you've ever owned?

[HFWR]

Of the five new vehicles I've purchased, none were lemons.

A 79 Mustang ran great, and no mechanical issues during my ownership.

A 89 Chevy Corsica, never any issues, but only owned it for two years.

A 92 Chevy "Work truck", owned for eight years and120k miles, ate three battery/starter combos, but no other issues. Well, the tailpipe weld broke just before I traded for...

A 00 Silverado, owned for eleven years and 120k miles or so. Aside from a broken latch on the console, was never in the shop, though near the end it leaked a bit of antifreeze, which I traced to a freeze plug about to go bad.

A 11 Prius, no issues through 40k miles.

I've had several PsOS used cars, but what can one expect from cars purchased for a few hundred drachma...

A 62 Caddy, with a gallon each of oil, power steering fluid, and brake fluid in the trunk.

An early 70s Datsun pickup which, within the first week, blew a head gasket, requiring the head to be machined. At that point I also found that some of the valve springs were missing, and that standard thread bolts had been torqued into some of the metric head bolt holes. IOW, the jerk who sold it to me intentionally hid all the issues. When I finally got it running again, the water pump locked up, the belt twisted the fan off the shaft, poking holes in the radiator, and, once again, overheating enough to require another head machining. Sold it to a guy with a garage and lots of tools and know-how, who drove it locally for several years after...

 

[mystang52]

I had 2 tied for first:
'72 Toyota Corolla. POS needed oil a LOT, from the get-go. I honestly don't remember all of the other problems, other than that I was at the shop seemingly every week.

2003 (maybe it was '04?) Lincoln LS. Supposedly a luxury car, but we had numerous issues with the car. Any one was not a big deal, but in the aggregate we were at the shop a lot. Final straw was when the transmission was clearly on the way out, and needed replacement (about 2000 miles AFTER warranty expired). We got rid of it before the transmission problem was obvious.

 

[BBQ-Nut]

I think that this question is not clear based on what some have posted...

One of the things that I look at when it comes to reliability is the ability to get me from point A to point B... IOW, when I go to get into it, it will start and get me where I want to go...

I had a 87 Firebird Formula 350 that broke down a lot.... but the only time it left me stranded was when the alternator went out and I could not get home before the battery died....

But, the list of problems was long...

Intake manifold gasket blew out twice... the big problem with this is that it puts water into your oil...

The automatic transmission mount broke 3 times...

Both front light motors stopped working... it was only a cheap nylon screw, but you had to buy the whole assembly to get it fixed...

Had a problem with one of the original wheels and had to buy a new set (I was not the first owner).... not talking tires here, but wheels...

The radiator went out and had to be replaced....

The AC motor froze up once and had to be replaced...

Cannot remember the other things that used to go wrong, but there were some.... and it also needed lots of maintenance....

But it never failed to start or get me where I wanted to go except for that alternator....

I view reliability as the time a system is 'available' vs downtime. And taking a vehicle to a shop reduces its availability for use.

Cost of ownership also factors into reliability and if the repair costs are exceedingly high, then that would, to me, mean the vehicle is not as reliable. But that's me.

 

[travelover]

1979 VW Rabbit, bought new. Doggone think would start and run, sometimes 500 miles sometime 50 ft. No warning no reason just did it. Recall the last straw a 8 hour trip Columbia MO. to KC covering 125 miles.

Thanks, I was trying to decide, but getting rid of my Rabbit was one of the happiest days in my life. It had body leaks and they kept the wiring and fuse box in a constant state of corrosion, such that driving it at night or in the rain was taking a pretty good bet that the lights and or wipers would actually be working that day. VW replaced the fuse box on a recall, but neglected to fix the body leak, so the new fuse box quickly rotted out.

My stepdaughter has a newer Golf, which she always keeps in the garage. I asked her why the garage and she said that the body leaks.

 

[Birchwood]

None of the many vehicles I bought in the last 40 years had been "utterly" unreliable. I would say through my experience, that my AMERICAN brand vehicles required more parts replacement than the Japanese vehicles I owned. All vehicles were bought brand new.
Jeep Grand Cherokee- start leaking oil from shock absorbers and joints at 5 years.
Ford F150- required rear shock absorber changed under warrantee, and TPS sensor changed at only 22K miles.
My Hondas, Toyotas, Subarus all passed 7 years without any part replacement, except for routine maintenance and tire changes

 

[calmloki]

Thanks, I was trying to decide, but getting rid of my Rabbit was one of the happiest days in my life. It had body leaks and they kept the wiring and fuse box in a constant state of corrosion, such that driving it at night or in the rain was taking a pretty good bet that the lights and or wipers would actually be working that day. VW replaced the fuse box on a recall, but neglected to fix the body leak, so the new fuse box quickly rotted out.

My stepdaughter has a newer Golf, which she always keeps in the garage. I asked her why the garage and she said that the body leaks.

Had a VW shop for a few years and yup, there was a common Rabbit problem of the windshield channel rusting through under the rubber and leaking directly onto the fuse box.

 

[cooch96]

94 dodge Dakota. 4wd. Engine and body were pretty good, but always felt like U-joints, drive axle, wheel bearings, etc. we're wearing out. On second thought, the electronics weren't reliable either.

I did drive it all over Canada, Alaska, and back to Iowa again. Maybe 50,000 miles in three years.

I sold it for super cheap to a friend when I finished grad school (didn't graduate, but I was finished). I touched back with him a couple years later and he mentioned something about the AC only worked if he let the rig warm up for thirty minutes first without using the seatbelt. Sounded about right.

 

[karen1972]

Audi A4, once you hit 50k miles you can just turn over your wallet to the repair guy.. its SOO bad that if it is over 50k, most people won't buy your car from you or offer you $500 or less for it.. no one wants them or will take them because every repair is $2500. Changing the light is $180 which break often because they are special "sensitive" lights that you have to take a corner panel off to get to. I'd never ever buy one again.

 

[Midpack]

Hands down the Renault Alliance that the dealer practically gave to DH in the mid-eighties with any upgrades he wanted at no charge. Apparently the car is blamed for the death of American Motors and also of Renault's USA ventures, as it was a joint creation of these companies. A google search for the car pops up some funny articles, with quotes like this one from Car and Driver:

Side story if I may. I test drove a Renault LeCar years ago. It ran horrible, rough with no acceleration at all, the sales guy riding along didn't know what to say. When we got back, he lifted the hood, and found one (of four) of the spark plug wires was missing. He begged me to give it another chance and I followed him to service/parts to get the wire. With me standing there, they told us they didn't have any. They needed one for a customer car and took one off the demo without telling anyone evidently. I didn't buy a LeCar...

 

[Midpack]

Related story. In 1988 I went to a BMW-Saab-Maserati dealer in Columbus OH to buy DW a used BMW 325es. They gave me a tour including their large service department, which had 24 bays. I counted 1 BMW and 22 Saabs - good thing I didn't want a Saab anyway. I had a buddy who bought a used Saab 900 Turbo, absolute money pit for him.

 

[rodi]

Side story if I may. I test drove a Renault LeCar years ago. It ran horrible, rough with no acceleration at all, the sales guy riding along didn't know what to say. When we got back, he lifted the hood, and found one (of four) of the spark plug wires was missing. He begged me to give it another chance and I followed him to service/parts to get the wire. With me standing there, they told us they didn't have any. They needed one for a customer car and took one off the demo without telling anyone evidently. I didn't buy a LeCar...

My sister bought a Renault LeCar, new, in the early 80's. She owned it 13 months - 6 of those months it was at the dealership service department. She'd previously driven my most reliable car (which I bought off of her) - a late 70's toyota pickup manual transmission.

My least reliable car was surprisingly an 88 Honda Civic DX hatchback. I bought it new. It ate clutches, brake pads, and batteries. I had to replace the clutch at 30k, 60k, and 90k miles. Brake pads inexplicably seemed to wear out and start making that noise when you turn at relatively low miles. And I went through several batteries in short order.

I know you're thinking it's the driver (me) for the clutches - but the Toyota Pickup (previous car) had the factory clutch when I sold it at 130k miles. (Also the factory battery). The toyota Rav4 (manual xmission) still had the factory clutch when I sold it at 70k miles. So I maintain that my shifting style was NOT the problem.

 

[Texas Proud]

I view reliability as the time a system is 'available' vs downtime. And taking a vehicle to a shop reduces its availability for use.

Cost of ownership also factors into reliability and if the repair costs are exceedingly high, then that would, to me, mean the vehicle is not as reliable. But that's me.

I agree that downtime and cost is a big factor in reliability.... but I had two cars at the time so taking one to the shop every once in awhile was not that big a deal....

 

[Sarah in SC]

My parents had a crappy Vega that would qualify, as would their Rabbit. Dad also bitched about their Jeep Cherokee, but I think it was my brother's driving that caused most of the problems.

My worst was a diesel Mercedes that never really ran right and eventually caught fire in the yard when it wouldn't turn off one day.

My American cars have all been good ones, in their own ways.

 

[MichaelB]

My American cars have all been good ones, in their own ways.

Reminds me of what I used to hear back in high school. "He's a good kid, you know, in his own way".

 

[MRG]

We did have a Ford Escape that Ford bought back from us after maybe 8 months. It was declared a lemon, due to dirt flooding into the cabin. Poor design that was aggravated by us living on a gravel road. While frustrating I will say once we got past the initial dealership BS(had to have another dealership say it was an issue) Ford did very well. They admitted it was a defect and paid back 100% of our costs.

 

[Ronstar]

Hands down 1979 Buick Regal. It developed a cracked engine block the first week. Dealer put a new engine in it. Then it continued to have engine and transmission problems the rest of its life. I kept my running shoes in the car at all times. I needed to run home on quite a few occasions when the car quit. Traded it for a Chevy S10 pickup in 1982.


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[Mulligan]

1972 Chevy Vega. Actually was on the interstate and downshifted and the stick shift came out of the boot. Total POS and have stayed away from most GM products since since.

I had the evil twin sister...The Chevy Monza...It matched yours in quality. I didn't give up on GM though. I have had 2 used Trailblazers for 15 years now, and don't spend anything on them, including maintenance that I should, but don't. They were/are road warriors for me...


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[rbmrtn]

Both front light motors stopped working... it was only a cheap nylon screw, but you had to buy the whole assembly to get it fixed...

I remember those. Buddy had a later generation 'bird and still had the problem. It can be fixed by removing the assembly, pry open the gear cover. Then you can replace the nylon gear or flip it over as it only wears in one spot and use the good side ( till it wears out ). The dealer wanted several hundred $$$ to replace it.

 

[braumeister]

Not something I owned, but I had two friends who owned Corvairs back in the late 60s.

One of them had the bracket holding the alternator break suddenly on the interstate, so he removed his shoelace and jury-rigged a new attachment for it. He was so pleased with himself that he kept it up for another couple of years until he sold it, replacing it as needed. Roughly 2,000 to 3,000 miles to a shoelace.

The other one had an absolute classic occurrence. He was driving across the 59th Street Bridge in NYC (remember the Simon & Garfunkel song?) when he felt a thump and the car started coasting to a stop. He looked in the rear view mirror to see his transmission back there on the roadway.

 

[GoWest]

1976 Datsun 260Z. It wouldn't start when the temperature was below 50 degrees, and it vapor-locked over 90 degrees. I carried a squirt-bottle of gas to "prime" the carburetors on frigid days, a common occurrence when I was stationed in Colorado in the early ‘80s. One morning, as I tried to open the hood to “prime” the motor, and the hood-latch cable broke. Since the hood opened forward from the windshield, there was no way to access the hood-latch manually. I eventually started the 260Z and drove to the Datsun dealer in Colorado Springs. They said they would have to drop the engine, or cut a hole in the hood to access the hood latch. I’d spent an airman’s fortune trying to fix the carburetors in that Z-car, and I’d had enough. I traded it in that day. The Z-car was wonderful when it ran right. But it stranded me so many times when it wouldn't start, or when it vapor-locked, that it gets my “Worst Car Ever” vote.

 

[aja8888]

Two real bombs out of many fairly good cars and trucks:

70's Jensen Healy (I was cool!) Connecticut Yankee with a British sports car with a Chrysler V8. All I can say is Lucas. The car and I walked home many times.

1980 Chevrolet Impala Wagon (first diesel). I bought this pile of crap new, too! Sad part was, dealer said they couldn't fix the injection pump when it stopped pumping diesel fuel into the injectors. Car was not reliable enough to take anywhere. Dealer took it in trade for a 1984 Olds Delta 88.

 

[GSMAN]

There are two that I can think of. When I got my first job out of college, I got a job with Ford Aerospace. As employees we qualified for special deals. I bought a 1984 Ford truck. That thing was in the shop all the time. A total lemon. The other car that is a close second was a Ford Tauras. Put in alot of money on that lemon. Transmission, front-end stuff and the list goes on. Needless to say I have not owned a Ford since then.

 

[RE2Boys]

Can't say as I have ever had an unreliable car, all my vehicles got me where I needed to go and have only been stranded a few times, but can't blame the maker of car for that. Such as once stranded due to a broken fan belt.....that I had just replaced two weeks earlier!

But poor quality car? 1980 Chevrolet Citation probably wins. Leaking manual transmission let to transmission rebuild two years later, recalled for grabby brakes, ate clutches every 35-40K miles, interior parts didn't fit well. Bought it new.

More forgiving of older used cars I purchased. Had a 1986 Dodge D50 where plastic, rubber, and electrical parts were rotting and failing, but mostly after it was 15 years old.

My 2001 Ford Windstar had several repairs on parts that should have lasted longer (heater controls and starter) but so did my 1989 Grand Prix (last new car I ever bought) that cooked alternators every 40K miles. And so did 2005 Freestar where I'm on the third power window motor, but otherwise been very reliable and a great car!

 

[M Paquette]

1973 AMC Hornet

it's the only vehicle I've ever had on which the drive shaft fell off. Not the only problem it had, of course. I had the usual failed hoses, head gaskets, the odd radiator leak, oil leak, fuel leak...

 

[Midpack]

Wow, Ford (old ones anyway) continue to take a beating! Guess there is/was something to the acronyms...

FORD: Of all car names, Ford has the most:

• Fix Or Repair Daily;
• Fast Only Rolling Downhill;
• Fails On Race Day;
• Found On Road Dead:
• Funding Our Retirement Daily (from a mechanic`s point of view); and perhaps best of all:
• Driver Returning On Foot (Ford spelled backwards!)