10 Most Unreliable Brands In The US

J.D. Power asks thousands of people what they think about their cars every year, resulting in the annual Vehicle Dependability Study. Thanks to this study, we know Lexus is the most reliable brand, a feather in its cap.

But what are the least reliable brands in the USA?

This list was originally published in 2018 but has been updated with the latest results of the 2023 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study.

Before getting to the top 10 list, we must first understand how J.D. Power conducts the survey. To be part of the survey, you must be the first and original car owner and have owned it for three years. The numbers are then crunched, and a list is published showing problems per 100 vehicles, or PP100 for short.

A top brand like Lexus scores 133, and the industry average is 186. With that in mind, let's count down the 10 least reliable cars you can buy in the USA.

Volvo enters this list with 214 problems per 100 vehicles. It's odd to see a brand so obsessed with safety and comfort in a list like this, but modern Volvos appear to be problematic.

J.D. Power also has an annual rating for vehicles, and it's a score out of 100. Points are awarded for quality and reliability, driving experience, resale, and dealership experience. Most Volvo's score in the seventies, losing most points in the quality, reliability, and resale departments.

The XC60 is Volvo's lowest scorer, and what's surprising is that it loses most of its points in the quality and reliability category.

The Volkswagen ID.4 hasn't been around for three years, and it's the same story with the new Golf GTI and Golf R. We expect VW's score to go even lower than the current 216 problems per 100 vehicles. Volkswagen's haptic feedback buttons and slow infotainment interface are known issues, which will be reflected in the coming years.

For now, the biggest problem is not legacy models like the Passat, which continues to score above 80% every year. The cut-price Touareg, otherwise known as the Atlas, is the problem child.

Americans wanted a larger three-row crossover at a reasonable price, and the result was the Atlas. VW had to cut some corners to make it cheap, and it shows. The NHTSA also recalled it 13 times in 2021 alone and six times in 2022.

The 300 is on its last legs, and only the Pacifica remains. Next year, the 300 will be gone, and Chrysler's score will likely drop even further. The 300 is not the problem...

There is room for improvement, as the 2023 Pacifica only scored 67% for quality and reliability. You don't want to lose points in that category, especially for a vehicle aimed at families.

The 300 scored 79% overall but received 92% in the quality and reliability department. That's hardly surprising as it has been on sale for what feels like decades. Chrysler has had enough time to iron out the kinks in the 300, which is good news for the lucky folks who were quick enough to buy the 300C.

The brand everyone loves to slag because it had horrendous reliability in the '80s. Still, Jaguar is still struggling to build reliable cars today, even if they are as beautiful as just about anything on the road. But one can't rely on beauty alone, and that's why Jag received 229 complaints per 100 vehicles.

The main problem here is a lack of product. Jaguar is in the process of reinventing itself again, after allowing all of its products to go stale over time. The only product we can recommend is the F-Pace, which is a highly entertaining SUV if you order the right engine.

The E-Pace is mediocre, the XF is outdated, the F-Type is thoroughly trounced by the Porsche Boxster and 911, and the I-Pace's range of 234 miles is no longer competitive four years down the line.

This German brand used to stand for quality above all else, but that has gone out the window somewhere along the line. Merc has the dubious honor of only just bettering Tesla, which is not where you want to be.

So, what's the problem? There are just too many Merc models. Mercedes is in the process of sorting out this problem, but it keeps on adding new EQ models. Mercedes has shifted too much focus to its electric vehicles and lost sight of quality control.

We can use the outgoing Mercedes-Benz E-Class as an example. It's near the end of its life, at which point all the problems should be sorted. It had to be recalled nine times in 2021 for silly issues like loose crash sensors, malfunctioning seat switches, and faulty rearview cameras.

This is the first time Tesla was part of the survey, and we're both surprised and also not. The American automaker has 242 problems per 100 units.

We're not surprised because some Tesla Model Y examples have panel gaps large enough to drive a Ford F-150 through. There's also that whole thing about steering wheels coming off while people drive. So yes, Tesla still has some quality control issues to work through, and now that the company is more than a decade old, it's getting harder to forgive it.

Still, it's ahead of Ford, the world's oldest mass car producer. That says more about Ford than it does Tesla.

Ford has had a rough few years, resulting in a score of 249 problems per 100 cars. In 2022, Ford recalled more vehicles than any other manufacturer. Ford's CEO even called its problems "dysfunctional" and stated that it's eating into the profits. The American automaker is on a mission to fix its quality problems but openly admits that it will take years to do so.

With so many recalls, it's hard to pinpoint an exact model. The most severe recall we came across was for fire risk. Ford recalled more than 500,000 Bronco Sport and Escape models because of a potentially cracked fuel injector.

For a company that prides itself in building some of the most high-quality interiors, it's odd to see Audi on this list. Or is it, considering its parent company also features on this list? With so many parts sharing, finding the German brand here is hardly surprising.

Audi was also one of the first German brands to launch an EV in the USA. The e-tron has been around long enough to fall under the latest owner survey, and as you'd expect, there were some teething problems. It scored 76% overall, but owners rated the quality and reliability as average.

Then there are models like the Q5 that score 69 out of 100 in the quality and reliability department. The Audi Q8 also scored relatively low when compared to its main rivals.

With Ford further up the list, it only makes sense to find Lincoln here.

In mid-2022, Ford recalled the 2021 Expedition and Lincoln Navigator for a fire risk. That's not something you ever want to hear from a manufacturer. And in early 2023, Ford recalled over a million Fusions and MKZs over possible brake failure. That's yet another serious issue you don't expect.

Land Rover has been near the bottom or at the bottom of this list for years. It's no wonder the company is changing its brand identity. The new Defender is built like a tank, receiving positive feedback from owners, but older models remain problematic.

The Evoque usually scores in the low 70s in the annual rating, and customers are mostly unimpressed with the quality, reliability, and dealership experience. The Discovery Sport doesn't have a score, but in our experience, it's a mediocre product in a sea of other options.

Land Rover's biggest problem is that it's sold as a premium product but doesn't deliver a premium experience.