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Consumer Reports 10 Least Reliable Cars for 2024Consumer Reports 10 Least Reliable Cars for 2024
Which vehicle is the most troublesome according to Consumer Reports’s readers?
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Which cars are most likely to end up on the tow truck?James Porter via Getty Images
At a Glance
- Domestics dominate the list again.
- Trucks are overrepresented on the 2024 list.
- Electronics are the bane of most of these vehicles.
Consumer Reports's annual survey has again identified the most troublesome cars reported by American consumers.
The miracle of modern electronics has brought more than its share of annoyances to drivers, as vehicles with electrified powertrains are overrepresented on this list and infotainment gadgets were a common complaint among drivers of these lowest-scoring ten vehicles.
Some of these problems were minor irritations like the infotainment system but others had climate control, suspension, and brake issues. Electric vehicle drivers continue to report battery and charging problems and in hybrids, the need to replace the vehicle’s battery.
As has been the case in the past, domestic carmakers fill most of these slots and the last-place vehicle finished behind the others by a shockingly wide margin.
Click through the slide show to see the bottom 10, which are listed in reverse order, with the most troublesome model listed last.
About the Author
Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.
A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.
Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.
Dan, testing the 2025 Aston Martin Vanquish. ANDY MORGAN/ASTON MARTIN
He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.
He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.
He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.
He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.
Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.
He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers.
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