New cars are so much safer than they used to be, and they’re generally more reliable, but that doesn’t mean that some cars aren’t more reliable than others. Figuring out which cars to avoid, however, can be difficult if you don’t want to spend hours reading various forums and trying to piece together reliability information on your own.
Thankfully, our friends at Consumer Reports recently released the results of their annual reliability survey, and after analyzing the data it collected from more than 300,000 vehicles, published a list of the least-reliable cars, trucks and SUVs that you can buy new.
These results take into account both the frequency and severity of the reported issues in 20 different areas, so problems such as a squeaking suspension, for example, aren’t weighed as heavily as problems with the powertrain. Additionally, Consumer Reports only includes models it has at least two years of reliability data on in order to calculate a predicted reliability score.
There will, of course, be exceptions to the rule, but if you’re looking to buy a reliable new car that won’t cause any problems, you probably want to avoid the vehicles that made it onto this list.