7 Car Brands with Bad Reputations for Quality

[5*(10)^2]

That's right...Fiat made it.

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/04/03/7-car-brands-bad-reputations-quality/

Not exactly building up confidence.

[fredfrey]

Based on "memories" from 40 years ago?  Total BS. What's wrong FOX, Fiat has not purchased any advertising??

[ciddyguy]

5*(10)^2 wrote

That's right...Fiat made it.

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2011/04/03/7-car-brands-bad-reputations-quality/

Not exactly building up confidence.

I would take a lot of this with a large grain of salt, not just for Fiat, but the entire article and people's perceptions because I would look at a car's reliability in things like how often does it end up in the shop for repairs? How well does it hold up over time? A case in point, VW, people often rave about VW, but keep the car 5 years and things can change in a heartbeat, I've heard many a story of VW owner's nightmares come year 5, after the warranty period.  But other factors to consider in a car's build quality and reliability, besides the mechanical aspect like how well does the paint hold up and/or fade? How well do trim pieces, both inside and outside hold up, do they stay ON or do they fall off, that kind of thing along with electrics such as power door locks and window actuators, do the windows stay in their tracks or do they fail prematurely? Those are ALL tangible factors that indicate how a car is built and its overall reliability.

ALL cars will do well when it comes to reliability, generally when new, but as they age, acrue mileage etc, it's how they hold up over time that is the real barometer.

That said, many people refuse to admit there may be a problem with Toyota and that there IS often real evidence that they just don't build them like they used to, same with Honda and yet people continue to rave about them as if they can't do no wrong.

Vice versa, many people can't seem to shake their perceptions of a car if its had a poor reputation in the past and in Europe, Fiat is fairing much better than in the past with their newer models, generally. The Panda and the 500 get good reviews and have proven to be reliable, overall.

but notice, it's not the worst either. That said, I tend to view reports like this one skeptically due to how people perceive cars, and often without any intangibles and in this case, emotions run their perceptions instead of stepping back and really seeing the car for what it is.

Othwerwise, coming from Fox News, anything they post (or repost from other sources) I tend to view with copious amounts of salt as I consider then not to be real news.

[SeaDawg]

5*(10)^2 wrote

That's right...Fiat made it.

Not exactly building up confidence.

To begin with, it IS Fox NOISE.  And as with many other people, organizations, etc. they are referencing the Fiat reputation of the 1970's and 1980's.  Not the current situation we are discussing in here.  That they are using it as a justification for listing Fiat as having a bad reputation for quality is pretty reprehensible.  That's like saying Ford cars aren't safe because of the Pinto.  But of course 'Fair and Balanced' Fox 'ain't'.

While I agree that if Fiat/Mopar doesn't get off it's behind and do something, perception will become reality, the article you referenced was talking about perceptions from the past.

I just hope repeating the curses of the past doesn't bring them to the forefront of the present.

[RacerRon]

People need to forget the past. and look at things now. Are all Chevys bad just because they produced the Vega?

The Italian website Cinquecentisti has a recently posted article on durability testing by the magazine Quattroruote with the Fiat 500. This is a rough translation.

The magazine Quattroruote, has traveled over 150,000 km aboard a Fiat 500 1.4 Lounge since 2007. From the Tunisian desert to the North Cape, the 500 has performed admirably. Special praise goes to the interior that does not seem to have all those miles behind it (as it will put a leather steering wheel?). At 100,000 km a rear wheel bearing has become noisy, the water pump has traces of coolant leaks, and the rear shocks were replaced because they were considered noisy.

A 120,000 km the timing belt was replaced along with a rear hub. Minor bulbs also had to be replaced. At 150,000 km the clutch began to wear, and will soon be replaced.

There is improved performance and fuel economy, sometimes with results well above expectations, as evidenced by data on average consumption, which rose by 11.8 km / l to 12.8 km / s. Acceleration, increased from 11 seconds to reach 100 km / h to the current 9.8 seconds and 21.8 seconds in the tests taken in sixth gear (first 26.9 sec.).  

Here is a link to a video report, but it's in Italian.

http://www.quattroruote.tv/prove/video/fiat500defmov634327079040975000

[5*(10)^2]

OK pple...

Please read the article properly.

This survey is NOT performed and concluded by Fox News but ALG.

The full report is here:

https://www.alg.com/Spring+2011+ALG+Perceived+Quality+Study+Highlights+Continued+Rebound+of+Toyota+and+Lexus+Brands

The PDF is here:

https://www.alg.com/pdf/pqs_2011_spring.pdf

[ciddyguy]

5*(10)^2 wrote

OK pple...

Please read the article properly.

This survey is NOT performed and concluded by Fox News but ALG.

The full report is here:

https://www.alg.com/Spring+2011+ALG+Perceived+Quality+Study+Highlights+Continued+Rebound+of+Toyota+and+Lexus+Brands

The PDF is here:

https://www.alg.com/pdf/pqs_2011_spring.pdf

I even noted it came from another source in my original comment, and secondly, perceived quality is nebulous unless you can step back and be honest with both yourself and of the vehicle you are driving and I also wager when some of these brands get such high ratings even thoug reality says otherwise (especially after warranty) leaves me to think many didn't keep their cars beyond warranty and thus are only going by the cars first few years, not by how it holds up over the long haul.

Otherwise, I agree.

[Giallo Edizione]

FIAT "entering at the bottom" not a surprise, since respondents have nothing to go on but pre-80's history for the most part. Can only go up. What should be more distressing is the entire Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-FIAT North America product line can be found at the bottom of the list. FIAT ownership will need to influence this issue as much as it needs to introduce new and refreshed cars if they are to recover and flourish. Our 500's are being assembled in an existing legacy Chrysler Toluca plant, by the same technicians and likely most of the same managers as when they made PT Cruisers, Journeys and other Chrysler products since 1968. Quality perceptions of FIAT will ultimately reflect what happens at that plant. Until something changes at Chrysler North America to improve actual and percieved quality across the product line, FIAT will likely remain in that lower cluster.

A more interesting survey, to me, was a recent one ( that I can't locate yet) that rated the cars based on owner loyalty- purchasing another car of the same brand. I think that really establishes a fair balance of quality, bang for the buck, joy of ownership etc. Interestingly, as I recall Jaguar was at the bottom of the heap and MINI was way down there as well. One must keep in mind the effect of crowds of appliance-buyers that keep the Honda's et al at the top though.

[sjmst]

Giallo Edizione wrote

FIAT "entering at the bottom" not a surprise, since respondents have nothing to go on but pre-80's history for the most part. Can only go up. What should be more distressing is the entire Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge-FIAT North America product line can be found at the bottom of the list....

Agreed. Fox is probably not really saying anything inaccurate. Chrysler knows all this and they are working on it. Sales are UP. That's the good news.

[FiatGal]

Giallo Edizione wrote

A more interesting survey, to me, was a recent one ( that I can't locate yet) that rated the cars based on owner loyalty- purchasing another car of the same brand.

I read these threads and wonder if I'm being foolish not upgrading my Mazda 323 (itself an upgrade from a Mazda GLC) to the Mazda 3. Then I look at the 500, remember all the good things I've been reading on it, here and elsewhere, remember that awesome clip from Top Gear, and hope for the best.

RacerRon wrote

From the Tunisian desert to the North Cape, the 500 has performed admirably. Special praise goes to the interior that does not seem to have all those miles behind it (as it will put a leather steering wheel?). At 100,000 km a rear wheel bearing has become noisy, the water pump has traces of coolant leaks, and the rear shocks were replaced because they were considered noisy.

A 120,000 km the timing belt was replaced along with a rear hub. Minor bulbs also had to be replaced. At 150,000 km the clutch began to wear, and will soon be replaced.

That certainly sounds like normal wear and tear on a car, doesn't it? And 150,000 km... roughly over 93,000 miles?

[ciddyguy]

FiatGal wrote

Giallo Edizione wrote

A more interesting survey, to me, was a recent one ( that I can't locate yet) that rated the cars based on owner loyalty- purchasing another car of the same brand.

I read these threads and wonder if I'm being foolish not upgrading my Mazda 323 (itself an upgrade from a Mazda GLC) to the Mazda 3. Then I look at the 500, remember all the good things I've been reading on it, here and elsewhere, remember that awesome clip from Top Gear, and hope for the best.

RacerRon wrote

From the Tunisian desert to the North Cape, the 500 has performed admirably. Special praise goes to the interior that does not seem to have all those miles behind it (as it will put a leather steering wheel?). At 100,000 km a rear wheel bearing has become noisy, the water pump has traces of coolant leaks, and the rear shocks were replaced because they were considered noisy.

A 120,000 km the timing belt was replaced along with a rear hub. Minor bulbs also had to be replaced. At 150,000 km the clutch began to wear, and will soon be replaced.

That certainly sounds like normal wear and tear on a car, doesn't it? And 150,000 km... roughly over 93,000 miles?

FiatGal,

Per your reply to RacerRon, I would agree that assuming your conversion from Km to Miles is correct, most of those ARE wear and tear items but things like wheel bearings and/or the clutch going before 100,000 is a little premature as far as I know. Brakes, tires, the water pump (often replaced along with the timing belt at around 90K on many cars as it's often easier and cheaper to do so while replacing the timing belt as anytime after that point, the pump could go and best to just do it while the acces is easy) and the like, yes.

However, I've heard of clutches these days lasting upwards of 200K in some cars if you know what you are doing and don't slip it much, otherwise, yes, around 100,000 to 150K miles at best is probably what one will get out of a typical manual clutch.