10 Least Trusted Car Company In the United States

Sally Polly October 04, 2021 | 08:22

The United States is a global leader in automobile manufacturing, boasting a plethora of well-known brands and models; however, not all automakers are reliable.

Top 10 least trusted car companies in the US

Table of Contents
Car manufacturers in the United States What are the least trusted car company in the United States? 10. Kia 9. Volkswagen 8. Volvo 7. Acura 6. Chevrolet 5. Jeep 4. Lincoln 3. Infiniti 2. Mitsubishi 1. Chrysler

We rely on our cars to get us to work, to pick up and drop off our kids at school, to run errands, and for almost any other essential task that our daily lives require. And nothing like unexpected car trouble to throw a wrench into perfectly laid out, well, plans. That's why we looked up which automaker consumers believe to be the least trustworthy in the recently published American Consumer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Automobile Study 2020–2021.

Based on interviews with 4,888 randomly selected consumers who were contacted by email between July 6, 2020, and June 28, 2021, the ACSI Automobile Study 2020–2021 was conducted. Consumers were asked to rate their recent interactions with the brands of cars produced by the biggest automakers in the nation. Based on customer feedback, the study ultimately assigned a score of 100 to 27 auto brands; we have identified the twelve least successful brands.

Here istop 10 least trusted car company in the United States below.

Car manufacturers in the United States

In 2020, approximately two million cars were assembled in American factories, while approximately 14.5 million light vehicles were sold in the country for retail that same year. In 2020, Mexico was the main importer of light vehicles into the United States.

US automakers compete in the second-biggest market in the world.

The automobile market in the United States ranks second globally. Along with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai, the American automakers General Motors (GM) and Ford are among the top producers in terms of market share in the United States. With its headquarters located in California, Tesla is by far the most successful manufacturer of electric vehicles.

Larger vehicles are becoming more popular among consumers.

About half of the market in 2019 was made up of trucks, which also included vans, minivans, pickup trucks, and four-wheeled sport utility vehicles (SUVs). It is anticipated that between the 2021 and 2024 model years, crossovers will make up roughly one in every two new light vehicle models.

What are the least trusted car company in the United States?

10. Kia

Photo: Auto News Press

ACSI score (out of 100): 77

Kia Corporation (stylized as KIΛ, but commonly known as Kia) is a multinational automobile manufacturer based in Seoul, South Korea. It was formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation. The company was founded in Korean and is referred to as ĸ아 in Hanja and Korean. After parent company Hyundai Motor Company, it is the second-largest car manufacturer in South Korea, with sales of over 2.8 million vehicles in 2019. Hyundai owns a minority stake in the Kia Corporation as of December 2015; its 33.88% ownership stake is valued at slightly over US$6 billion. With a total value of more than US$8.3 billion, Kia is a minority owner of over twenty Hyundai subsidiaries, with ownership percentages ranging from 4.9% to 45.37%.

Consumers seem unimpressed with Kia's cars overall, even though the brand scored the same this year as it did in 2020 and isn't even the least trusted on this list.

One owner said on Consumer Affairs, "Never buy a Kia." "And if you do, don't expect them to assist you with recall parts. I've had at least ten conversations. Only half of them speak. Half of them say something else.

9. Volkswagen

Photo: Hot cars - Blogger

ACSI score (out of 100): 77

Volkswagen is a German automaker with its main office located in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony. Known for their iconic Beetle, the German Labour Front founded the brand in 1937. It is the main brand of the Volkswagen Group, which was the largest automaker in the world by sales in 2016 and 2017. China is the group's largest market, accounting for 40% of sales and earnings. Volkswagen literally means "people's car" because the German word Volk means "people".

Volkswagen's ACSI rating may have decreased from the previous year's, but the company is undergoing a significant transition that will see a significant push toward the production of electric and even driverless vehicles in the years to come. As per CNN Business, Herbert Diess, the CEO of Volkswagen, "wants to make electric cars make up half of the Volkswagen Group's sales by 2030, and 100 percent of its sales in major markets should be zero-emission by 2040."

Diess said of autonomous vehicles, "There's a lot of business potential and it's still a long way to go," CNN Business. "Our first fleets probably will come to market in 2025, and the first private cars driving autonomously also in 2025 or 2026."

8. Volvo

Photo: Volvo Car Group

ACSI score (out of 100): 77

The Swedish automaker of luxury cars, Volvo Cars (Swedish: Volvo personvagnar; stylized as VOLVO), is based in Torslanda, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Sport utility vehicles (SUVs), station wagons, hatchbacks, sedans, and compact executive sedans are among the vehicles produced and sold by the company. Established in 1927, the Volvo Group was a division of SKF, a manufacturer of ball bearings. SKF sold the majority of its shares in AB Volvo when it was first listed on the Stockholm stock exchange in 1935. AB Volvo is now a separate company. Its vehicles are promoted with a focus on their Swedish heritage and design as well as being safe, sturdily constructed, and dependable.

Volvo has a reputation for being a dependable automaker, but the company, which lost ground in the previous year's poll, is far from set in stone.

According to a verified reviewer on Consumer Affairs in 2020, "I messed up by believing the hype behind Volvo," "I made a mistake by purchasing a pre-owned Volvo right out of warranty. I made a mistake by assuming that a Volvo would last beyond 50,000, 80,000, or 100,000 miles without developing several costly, significant mechanical problems. Avoid being duped as I did.

7. Acura

Photo: Wikipedia

ACSI score (out of 100): 76

The luxury car division of Japanese carmaker Honda is called Acura. On March 27, 1986, the brand was introduced in the US and Canada, selling cars that were high-performance, luxurious, and powerful. It was first brought to Hong Kong in 1991 and remained there until 2009; it was also sold in Mexico in 2004, China in 2006, Russia in 2014 (when it was no longer available in Russia), Kuwait in 2015, and Ukraine (until 2018). Due to economic delays, Honda's 2008 plan to bring Acura to the Japanese domestic market (JDM) was postponed. As a result of the 2007–2008 financial crisis, the plan was eventually canceled.

Additionally, Acura's ACSI score from the previous year was only one point lower than its current one, and the company has an overall Consumer Affairs rating of four out of five stars. However, a number of online complaints have been made regarding the quality of maintenance and customer service provided by the Honda-owned Acura brand.

An incensed verified reviewer posted on Consumer Affairs earlier this year stated, "Acura does not stand by their product or do the right thing by the customer." "The top people making decisions at this organization are ruthless and have no loyalty to their customers."

6. Chevrolet

Photo: Wikipedia

ACSI score (out of 100): 76

Chevrolet, officially the Chevrolet Division of General Motors Company and sometimes just Chevy, is the US automotive division of the US automaker General Motors (GM). On November 3, 1911, Louis Chevrolet and William C. Durant, the founder of General Motors, founded the business as the Chevrolet Motor Car Company. Through a reverse merger that took place on May 2, 1918, Durant leveraged the Chevrolet Motor Car Company to regain control of General Motors and propel himself back to the position of president of the company. Alfred Sloan, who promoted the slogan "a car for every purse and purpose" after Durant was ousted twice in 1919, chose the Chevrolet brand to lead the General Motors family in volume sales. The Chevrolet International, which was introduced in 1929, eventually surpassed the Ford Model T as the best-selling car in the United States.

While Chevy's standing with consumers did not greatly improve, it most definitely did not improve, as evidenced by the company's ACSI score remaining unchanged from the previous year. This is especially true in light of the recent recall of its Chevy Bolt model due to a potential fire hazard.

"I bought a new Chevrolet to provide my family with dependable transportation. One Chevy owner bemoaned on Consumer Affairs, "I've had it for two months and 2,000 miles, and it's been nothing but a nightmare and headache." "It has spent several days at a dealership on three separate occasions, and each time I have not received a loaner. As a result, I can no longer drive my family to and from school. It was the worst decision I've ever made because I went with a new GM instead of one of your competitors."

5. Jeep

Photo: CarWale

ACSI score (out of 100): 76

American car manufacturer Jeep is currently owned by the European conglomerate Stellantis. Since 1987, when Chrysler bought the Jeep brand and its surviving assets from its former owner American Motors Corporation (AMC), Jeep has been a part of Chrysler.

Based on a single customer's extensive list of grievances, it's understandable why Jeep's ASCI score remained unchanged from the previous year at 76.

"I've owned this car for two years now, having purchased it brand new. "It's the worst car I've ever owned," the verified reviewer on Consumer Affairs wrote. "You can tell the windshield is of poor quality because it attracts chips. Driving on paved roads, I have already experienced two chips and one crack. Since the paint chips easily with regular driving, it is also inexpensive. Apart from all the recalls, the main problem is that my car uses full synthetic oil, which is the priciest, and it runs out at 3,000 miles for no apparent reason."

4. Lincoln

Photo: Leith Cars

ACSI score (out of 100): 76

Ford, an American automaker, has a luxury vehicle division called Lincoln (formerly the Lincoln Motor Company). Lincoln was marketed as one of the leading luxury car brands in the US and was pitted against Cadillac, a division of General Motors. With the 1940 Lincoln Continental, the division contributed to the establishment of the personal luxury car market.

Lincoln's ACSI score decreased by one point from the previous year, possibly as a result of Consumer Reports' designation of its 2020 Aviator SUV as the least dependable new vehicle.

One unhappy owner posted on Cars.com, saying, "I've had this car into the dealership four separate times for unrelated reliability issues totaling over three weeks of lost usage." "I am very disappointed in Lincoln quality and will not buy another one like it."

3. Infiniti

Photo: Herrin Gear - INFINITI

ACSI score (out of 100): 75

Nissan's luxury car division is called Infiniti. Nissan is a Japanese carmaker. On November 8, 1989, Infiniti began selling automobiles in North America. Dealers in more than 50 countries were part of the marketing network for cars bearing the Infiniti brand in the 2010s. There were 25 markets that new car dealers served in 2020. With the exception of Hong Kong and Macau, the two primary markets are China and North America.

Not only is Infiniti's score declining, but it fell four points from the 2020 ACSI study. Business Insider reports that since 2017, Infiniti's sales have decreased by 50%, with the brand selling just 79,000 cars in the United States last year.

Additionally, according to a recent Consumer Affairs article, Infiniti recently announced that 3,569 of its 2021 Q50, Q60, and QX80 vehicles are being recalled due to a software bug that prevents the rearview camera from showing.

2. Mitsubishi

Photo: Hioki Vietnam

ACSI score (out of 100): 71

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is a multinational automotive manufacturer based in Tokyo, Japan, with its headquarters located in Minato. By production, Mitsubishi Motors ranked 19th globally and sixth among Japanese automakers in 2011. As of October 2016, Nissan owns 34% of Mitsubishi, making it a member of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance.

The 2021 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study gave the new Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and Eclipse Cross models high marks; however, the brand's 2021 ACSI score decreased by a full six points from the previous year.

As an owner of a Mitsubishi, I found that, "For a company all about their warranty, they really fight not to cover it," on Consumer Affairs. "Never buying Mitsubishi again seeing as my 3-year-old car is now my junker."

1. Chrysler

Photo: Getty Images

ACSI score (out of 100): 70

Located in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Chrysler is one of the "Big Three" car manufacturers in the United States. It is Stellantis, an American-based automotive company with its headquarters in the Netherlands. Stellantis North America offers automobiles for sale all over the world under the Dodge, Jeep, and Ram brands in addition to the Chrysler brand. It also includes SRT, its performance car division, and Mopar, its division for auto parts and accessories.

After a recent merger, the car company Chrysler is now owned by automaker Stellantis, but things aren't looking good for the long-struggling brand. As per the recent report by The Drive, Carlos Tavares, the CEO of Stellantis, stated that Chrysler has ten years to demonstrate its worth, failing which it might vanish permanently. And as CNBC recently reported, the company has a long way to go as it placed lowest in both the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study and this year's ACSI survey.

What Are The Oldest Skyscrapers In The United States?

Ever since the first skyscrapers were built in the United States, they have been developing quickly in height and architecture. Take a look at these ...