Automaker Bailout Porn: Eight of Ten "Worst Built" Cars Are From GM And Chrysler

Another facepalm moment. However many jobs the automobile manufacturer bailouts may have (temporarily) saved, using taxpayer money to salvage dinosaur companies GM and Chrysler, those titans of the now ending cheap oil era, was extremely short sighted public policy. Anyone who understands the implications of peak oil and resource depletion knows that the automakers' business model is doomed. It's just a matter of how many times our insolvent federal government will be willing to keep bailing them out before finally conceding to reality.

Of course, GM and Chrysler don't do themselves any favors by continuing to build crappy cars, but according to Consumer Reports, that's what they are still doing. Here is Forbes with the story of the CR's 10 Worst Built Cars of 2012:

...we poured over the latest data from Consumer Reports’ 2012 Annual Auto Issue to identify which models, based on a convergence of objective test results, could be considered the 10 Worst Built Cars for 2012. (See the accompanying slide show for the complete rogues’ gallery and selection criteria.)

We started by examining CR’s road test ratings and isolated the models that were ranked at or near the bottom, as noted by an aggregate score under 50. Overall ratings are based on more than 50 individual tests and evaluations, and are presented on a 100-point scale. We then identified those models that received the lowest marks for reliability, based on Consumer Reports subscriber surveys, and were cited for at least two other “worsts,” including bottom-of-the-pack value ratings, highest five-year operating costs, lowest owner satisfaction, poorest fuel economy in a given class and/or worst performance in accident-avoidance tests.

Of the 10 models that comprise our final list of 10 Worst-Built Cars for 2012, all but two of them, the Smart ForTwo and Toyota FJ Cruiser, come from domestic-brand automakers, specifically Chrysler LLC and General Motors. While those automakers have been making great strides in recent years with new and recently redesigned models, they’re still recovering from their near-death experiences in 2008-2009 and the laggards in their respective lines awaiting major makeovers or replacements continue to haunt them.

“GM and Chrysler are building nicer cars with each redesign. Still, their scores are dragged down by several older designs that score low in Consumer Reports testing or have reliability issues,” says David Champion, senior director, Consumer Reports Automotive Test Center, “As more new products are introduced, their fortunes could change if they can improve their overall reliability.”

The grim details for each model are at the link, but here is the list of the worst ten cars for 2012:

Cadilac Escalade

Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon

Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon

Dodge Avenger

Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel

Jeep Compass

Jeep Liberty

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

Smart Car ForTwo

Toyota FJ Cruiser

Notice how many models on the list are of the gas hog variety? There's a lesson to be learned there somewhere. Too bad the American auto industry is in general too dumb to learn it.


Bonus: "She don't love me, she loves my automobile"