General Motors brands and vehicles struggled in the 2019 Consumer Reports Auto Reliability Survey.
The annual Consumer Reports list ranks brands and vehicles using data from surveyed Consumer Reports members. This year, it gathered data on 420,000 different vehicles spanning the 2000 to 2019 model years, with members able to report vehicle problems across 17 “trouble areas” including engine, transmission and in-car electronics. Consumer Reports then uses the survey data to calculate a “reliability rating” for every major mainstream brand and vehicle.
GM did very poorly in this study. Cadillac was ranked 30th among the mainstream auto brands – which is dead last. Its other brands didn’t do too well, either. Chevrolet was 25th, GMC was 22nd and Buick was 18th. Lexus, Mazda and Toyota occupied the top three in that order, while Porsche and Genesis completed the top five, respectively. Joining Cadillac at the bottom of the order were two other luxury brands: Alfa Romeo was 29th, while Acura was 28th.
Some GM vehicles were also included in Consumer Reports‘ ranking of the least reliable vehicles. The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon were found to be the least reliable vehicles overall, with a “reliability score” of just 4 out of 100. The Chevrolet Camaro was the second least reliable vehicle according to the survey, with a reliability score of 5 out of 100. The Chevrolet Traverse also found itself 10th in the bottom ten ranking with a reliability score of 18.
This survey takes small problems into account, such as squeaky brakes and broken interior trim pieces, along with major problems such as engine and transmission problems. Issues with in-car electronics are also accounted for, such as a buggy infotainment screen. It’s unclear what specific problems Consumer Reports users had with the Colorado, Canyon and Traverse, but they could range from fairly minor to major, as the survey scope is quite wide.
The most reliable vehicle in the survey was the Mazda MX-5 Miata, with an overall reliability score of 95. The Toyota Prius Prime was second with a score of 94, while the standard Prius was third with a score of 92.
Another takeaway from this survey, Consumer Reports said, is the clear drop off in reliability of a model when it receives a major update or when a next-generation version is introduced.
“CR’s proprietary analysis shows that vehicles tend to be most reliable by the final year of any particular model run (typically five to seven years), after many of the bugs have been worked out, and least reliable in the first year of a redesign, when freshly reconfigured and often touted as ‘all-new’,” the publication said.
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Source: Consumer Reports
Comments
Way to go GM! The bean counters are in full control.
@Mark
Glad to see everyone now sees what I have been stating for years here. Ever since Lutz left, the Bean-Counters have just taken over everything in GM. They went back to ONLY caring about their Shareholders while neglecting their Customers and Workforce. History has proven so many times that this is a recipe for utter Disaster.
Just look at their All New from the Ground Up Cash Cows, they completely dropped the Ball due to the Bean-Counters and now Ram took over second place. Bean-Counting products NEVER works out for the better.
momo… you sound like a 10 year old. Maybe by saying bean counter 2 or 300 more times, we’ll assume you have an opinion. Or, simply move on Einstein
Lutz’s should have been given control of GM. Barra earns good margins but has done nothing for quality and withdrawn globally.
I still think a reverse merger will PSA would have been best for GM with Carlos Taveres taking charge. He saved Opel in one year. In addition, while Europe is a mature region, it is more profitable than China. PSA as part of GM could have been a great profit driver while providing solid yet inexpensive EV platforms to complement GEM.
As Henry Ford said running a auto company is a matter of nickels and dimes.
Just one item costing 10 cents more can cost you $100 k on a million models. You make 10 dime mistakes and you can cost a million. Now factor in the cost of items in a cars are dollars not dimes so the financial disaster could just be one major component away.
Every automaker need car people to run them but they need to be balanced out with financial people. The balance of finance and engineering is critical and not always easy to meet.
Finally you don’t make money you lose investors and stock vs,use if you are upside down on the money.
I know some here like to complain about bean counters but while in some cases they can hurt but in many cases they can save a company just as a good engineer in the right balance.
Please read Lutz book Car Guy vs Bean Counters. Bob and bean counters have had many a fight. He also has over ruled them often but he is the first yo say they are also needed to protect the company from those who create but don’t pay the bills. In other words it is a dirty job but someone needs to balance the books.
Anyone critical of Lutz as a bean counter need to get an education on the man. Most of his life has been pressing the bean counters at each company he has worked for.
I still see idiots blaming him for the Aztek when it had been out for a while before he even arrived. He was appalled by it as were we. .
Such a true story. I was burned in a brand new 2016 Chevrolet Silverado.Trade it in for a 2014 Toyota Tundra.And also burned in a used 2013 Chevrolet Malibu eco fully loaded.Figured I would give Chevrolet another chance.I’m finally done with General Motors altogether.Never will I purchase another Chevrolet brand.
GM quality has been crap for longer than that. I USED to be a Chevrolet fan, the fuel pumps and original electronic transmissions of the 90s is why I won’t ever own another. Why is this a shocker? I’ve seen lots of people I know struggle with repairs and car payments and it was always the same problems, I still believe they were engineered to fail. As long as brand loyalty exist they will keep taking advantage of bow tie fans.
Proof is in their ruined names, a Malibu was a trim of the rwd intermediate cars that also included chevelle, corporate is is laughing all the way to the bank cause people keep buying their trash. Have you seen the new blazer lol, yeah keep on folks, buy the garbage instead of holding them to a higher standard.
Pitiful…
Outside of v8 rwd based vehicles GM has fallen far. Far far to where Toyota was 10 years ago, minus the reliability.
Actually the CR reviews are nothing more than their opinion and mostly subscribers feed back. That means it is far from scientific and or accurate.
Many of the vehicles from year to year jump on and off the list even if nothing has changed on the vehicle. All brands are effected.
The thing is people tend to believe CR and not really know the truth. So MFG try to get on the list even if it is bogus as it is good Publicity.
These ratings are based on, in their own words “Our extensive survey data, combined with our technical knowledge, allows us to expertly predict the reliability of new and redesigned models.” Bottom line, they rarely cite actual statistics, but instead their ratings are based on really nothing more than a subscriber only feedback loop.
In other words much of their data is as accurate as an Amazon Rating.
right … let’s stick with JD Powaaaahhhhh.
I don’t mean to be ignorant to CR, but what on earth do they know about cars anyhow?? An unreliable source if you ask me. Yes, there may be a few GM vehicles that aren’t on top of the scale, but this is completely unrealistic and made up by folks that haven’t clue what their on about……
You are absolutely right! CR is all about owner complaints. If you want to go by actual numbers, Chevy has had the lowest cost of vehicle life ownership for nearly 20 years and the lowest number of recalls. If CR is any indication, it shows that picky buyers buy gm because they are the best option in a competitive set. Toyota has the least because people who don’t know what good cars are go buy the first 2007 architecture tundra on the lot. this report can be taken in a different light.
Part of they’re problem is they only poll people who subscribe to their magazine. It is not scientific at all and you don’t know who these people are or their demographics. Consumer Reports also outsources reviews to other companies and had that big debacle in the past with the child safety seats in which the company testing them made some big errors and CR had this big public apology because of it.
Consumer Reports has always been bias against GM, the last report had Range Rover at number 30 and Cadillac was higher up on the list. Just buy an Extended warranty on any vehicle you buy and make sure it covers all electrical and drive train.
scott3 AKA C8.R,
You seem to be a more advanced boomer than most, yet the overwhelming need on your part to try to convince the general public GM knows what they are doing is strange to me.
I know your livelihood is or was tied directly to GM as a GM performance shop, yet your boomerness shines through when you comment on the true tech.
Most of the gen – Ys and a some of the gen – Xs research on devices. Heck they do most on devices. Bank, buy and almost everything.
So this GM campaign on the data shows ( X ) is a waist. JD Power says this. When you research JD Power what do you find ? Its a shell, Pay for what data you want, and the gen – Ys know this.
Its like your comments on Amazon reviews, do you understand that ? Do you understand why Amazon Is as large as it is ? Microsoft ? Google ?
Its DATA, watching the DATA is what they do, Its how they operate, its how they know what you want, get it ?
You might think GM knows what they are doing, buy these tech companies do !!!!
Look at all the old boomer companies going out of business, look at retail sales, where are they coming from ?
Now I don’t believe CR any more than JD power or anything from GM.
But I purchase almost everything I need online, why do I, because you just cant get what you need from a old boomer owned store. Its like GM knowing what the customer wants ——–
They don’t know !!!!!
Ill help you out a little, when you purchase something on Amazon, when it is delivered to you ( which they know in real time ) you are asked to feedback how the purchase went. In a short while you are asked to give a review on how the product works and any feedback you want, not a questioner designed by the manufacturer. At any time you can add to your review, and other people can ask you questions on the product, through Amazon.
This feedback and review system if through the tech of the company and is the greatest way to know what the customer of a product thinks.
It would let the owners of GM vehicles ask other owners of the same vehicle direct questions. Some of the forums out their help with this, but are third party sites. GM and the OLD companies are trying to deliberately stifle the flow of DATA.
Facebook is sorting out some of this. as GM tries to get you to only private message them and get your opinion review off the site, but most have caught on as GM is doing nothing.
Anyway this for sure has already been proven, who is larger GM or Amazon ?
Some of you boomers will never get it, and I feel sorry for you.
I feel sorry as I watch the once great boomer companies and stores and automakers go bankrupt.
But as you know I have already watched GM do this once over lack of customer input.
so the koreans have kia, hyundai, and genesis in the top 10. gm … none.
but don’t worry … they are just “punching above their weight” delivering more reliable vehicles for less money. gm has nothing to worry about. consumers won’t notice.
Did CR ever give GM high marks?
The last book I bought the only car they recommended was the impala and regal which was rated like 77 out of 100
They quite liked the Impala, which has been the number 1 large sedan in their ratings consistently since 2014. They also reported above average reliability and owner satisfaction on it.
Yes. CR rated the Buick Regal at the TOP of it’s “Luxury Compact” Category in 2017 & 2019. EQUAL to the Audi A4 for $10-15,000 LESS and rated BETTER than the BMW 330i; Tesla Model 3; Acura TLX; Mercedes C300; Genesis G70; Lexus IS300; Infinity Q50; Kia Stinger; Jaguar XE & Alfa Romeo Guilia Ti. BEAT some pretty dam good company!! AND where are the overpaid “bean counters” & marketing Einstein’s in GM & Buick Division??? MIA and about to discontinue one of their current best products in lieu of crossovers etc “cause Americans aren’t driving sedans anymore”. They’ve NEVER seen the forest for the trees in the upper hierarchy of this bloated mega company with 50’s style industrial management philosophy. What a shame.
Here we go again with GM and Consumer Reports.
Everyone knows GM delivers very poor value, I seriously doubt anyone was surprised by this. I doubt GM will be a player in 20 years if this continues… very sad and unnecessary
What needs to be kept clear here is this is by “member”, or in other words from people who subscribe to C.R. and not people like me and most of you. C.R. has never been credible IMO because of huge flaws in how they report, where they attain the information, lack of a wide range of consumers (again, this is all from “members”), and well as C.R.’s inability to accurately report simple factual information about vehicles such as correct engines, dimensions, etc.
I sell Mazda’s now, and if they feel the Miata MX5 is a high quality car, then I have a bridge to sell them. Putting the Toyota twins up near the top as well is absolutely silly. As much as I have ridden in the Toyota’s and seen the “trim pieces” broken and fallen off, rattles, smoke coming out of the tailpipe, electronic issues. I’ve spoken with the drivers/owners of them. They are not what this C.R. report claims. What’s more, the vast majority of people who belong to C.R. (members) are not GM/Ford/Chrysler friendly. Never have been and most likely will never be.
CR is like public TV. Not ready for prime time accept for occasional things.
I’m not buying the bottom most scores of the Colorado and Canyon which have been out basically as is since 2015. The only issue I have heard with them is the shift quality on the 8 speed which was cured with a change of fluid type. Most everybody with one seems to really like them overall.
I know a guy who’s had 2 GMC Canyons. A 2015 and a 2018. the first had 122k miles on it and his current one has 56k on it and neither have had any problems. His second one started shifting hard around 8k miles but cleared up around 10k.
Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon are both very-reliable vehicles, but they have to be strictly 2.5L 4-CYLINDER RWD only with 6-speed auto. It’s a completely different breath of fresh air… Very sad and very unfortunate, but I do know the 3.6L V6 with 8-speed auto, and 4WD are very-troublesome drivetrain pairs in Colorado/Canyon. Hope this info helps…
Very true. My 18 4×4 crew cab V6 has been a nightmare since Day 2 of ownership. Major transmission problems (5 to 8 second delay to shift into drive or reverse after sitting for several hours), constant rattles in the B pillars, stripped lug nuts (right from the factory), and engine idling/stalling problems. Pile of junk in my experience.
So Consumer Reports surveys 420,000 of their subscribers about issues with vehicles they own with a model range between 2000 and 2019. Nearly a two decade model range…what could possibly go wrong?
I’m a current CR “member” AND GM owner. I’ve taken their highly exhausting, time consuming & detailed surveys twice now for BOTH my 2011 Buick Regal Turbos (I hit a friggin deer & totalled my 1st loved tooling around in it so much I bought another 2011). NO issues with either, except brakes needed servicing more than my usual. I HIGHLY recommended the vehicle. You listening out there GM & Buick mis-managers in the Detroit metro area??? KEEP the Regal going beyond 2020!!
What I find interesting is the essentially identical vehicles (take the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado as examples) can garner significantly different scores. It makes me wonder if this is due in part to owner expectations? The GMC is considered to be the luxury brand and owners expect more from it. Yet in reality, the Sierra and Silverado as essentially identical.
@Cliff:
Way back around 1990, my aunt decided that I would like the C.R. auto edition where they “rated” all cars. This is when I was a very new sales person at the Buick, Cadillac, GMC and Honda store. The dealership considered me the product knowledge king and I was in charge of administering the GM tests in order to be certified. Someone else administered the Honda tests, but I still had to take them. My point is that I knew my product and we tested on them all. If you didn’t pass, you didn’t get the incentive money! So after my aunt left, I sat down and began to thoroughly go over this coveted C.R. magazine. In less than 10 minutes, I had found numerous errors in the reporting of engines, options, etc. just in the Cadillac cars. Then I found several in the Buick section, so any credibility they had just went out the door. Hey, if you can’t even copy down technical specs from the GM site, then how can you rate cars? A couple years later my buddy (who still sells Chevrolet’s to this day) and I were talking about C.R. and how they seemed to hate GM. He pointed out that the Caprice paint for the V8 was rated below average where the Caprice V6 paint was rated above average in the exact same issue. Yet both cars rolled off the same assembly line!
For me, C.R. has little value or car cred. Stick to appliances boys!
I generally read the CR recommendations and do the opposite of their advice, as taking their advice never worked out in anything.
When chrysler beats you – you know you are in trouble.
Same thing as for Ford and Lincoln. Dodge is now the most-reliable domestic car brand. It’s largely because Chrysler don’t offer many turbo engines in lineup, and ZF’s 8-speed auto in Ram trucks is a success compare to GM’s and Ford’s troublesome 8-speed. Remember 1960s before? Chrysler was once the most-reliable domestic automaker before at one time, and we’re glad to see where it once belong.
Kind of off-subject, but the article’s main pic of the white Chevrolet Colorado is great. There’s something about that exact trim (??) of the Colorado that I just love. And boy is that even nicer looking when compared to the “updated” 2021 Colorado with that new front end. If I were interested in getting one, I’d jump on a 2020 just to avoid that ultra ugly updated one.
I have a theory people that buy American cars particularly GM brand cars probably buy them with pride as opposed to people that buy a car like Toyota where it’s more of an appliance so if little things don’t hold up they don’t care as long as major things don’t fail.my bet is the people that report to consumer reports that have GM products are mad of the things that went wrong .with that being said I never met anyone that had problems with Japanese brands
I’ve been a Chevy Silverado owner for more than 20 years, purchasing 4 new trucks during that time frame, but loved the styling of the Colorado and in early 2018 decided to go with it on my last purchase. It’s a Ext Cab 3.6L V6 with 8-speed auto, and 4WD and with 30k on the odometer it’s been an exceptional vehicle.
I honestly don’t know what to think. My parents both drive Buick suvs and they have been great. The company I work for has a dozen GM vehicles that have all been great also.
I personally own a Toyota and a Cadillac. The Toyota is the best vehicle I have ever owned. The Cadillac……not at all.
GM vehicles just don’t age well…….maybe.
My experience has been exceptional with GM vehicles. I have owned 8 HD pickups since 01 two 6.0 gas and 6 Duramax trucks. I currently own an 06 3500 DRW, ’18 Duramax 3500 CC LB SRW, an ’18 Colorado ZR2, ’15 ZL1 Camaro, ’16 1500 GMC CC SB. I work my pickups hard pulling excavation equipment nearly every day of the day. I race the ZL1. My stuff is taken care of but nothing is babied. I have next to zero problems, a couple of nickle dime things with the 06 but its older and has a lot of miles. I am a very satisfied with GM quality and so is everyone that I know that owns GM vehicles, which is mostly contractors working their pickups every day as I do. I personally don’t care what CR has to say. My personal experience is what I go by.
Did GM pay you to say this lmao. GM IS GARBAGE bud. I would never deal with them again. 70k on a Yukon and its junk. Toyota does circles around gm in reliability.
So first the CR people give unreliable scores to their vehicles that still move down the road. By this I mean the new GM ” Good Enough ” moto is that the vehicle is 100% reliable unless it is sitting on the side of the road not moving !!
Lets look at these examples:
I would give my 2015 Canyon a bad score as I had to buy a tune to make it shift like a vehicle should. Did it quit on the road, no, but it shifted like crap and GM would do nothing. The Canyon also had a steering recall for the electric steering. The Canyon also had a seat recall as it wasn’t mounted to the floor. The Canyon also had the heater door recall where GM put a hose clamp on the actuator door, band-aid. The Canyon also had an air bag recall. Not to mention the 8 speed GM junk, like scott3 or C8.R had his whole transmission replaced by GM, yet other customers still live with the troubles.
So did the Canyon leave the customer by the side of the road, no, was it the greatest vehicle ever like some here would like you to believe, NOPE, NOPE it wasn’t.
And don’t even get me started on the Cadillac. 90% of the CUE screens, of the 2014 type faulty design, will delaminate in high ambient temps, if they have not already. Does this leave you on the side of the road, nope, would the customer rate this high, nope. Our 2014 ATS also had or has 5 letters of satisfaction for faulty parts and is still dripping rear end fluid on the garage floor. The ATS has a faulty switch in the gear shifter. The ATS had a faulty crash response system. The ATS had a recall also like the Canyon on the electric power steering. The ATS also has horrible shift points, ours is a 6 speed. The ATS also has run flats, that is ok but if you hit a pot hole the rims bend and break like the Corvette wheels, yes that also happened on ours.
OK lets shift to our 2017 HD Duramax. The HD had a recall for the emission system. The HD had a recall on the rear end axle nut. The HD had a faulty fuel cap. The HD had a recall for the wrong seatbelt pre tensioner. The HD had a rattle in the headliner. The HD had a block heater recall, and GM would not even fix it.
So if I were a Consumer Reports customer, and they asked me to rate my last 3 GM vehicles, a 2014, 2015, and a 2017, I would rate them low, LOW.
And I would rate the GM response to the problems, horrible, HORRIBLE !!!!!
GM has a ” Good enough ” attitude, and no, NONE, horrible customer support !!
Tossing out some CR numbers
Place. YOY change Brand (# of models rated) actual # of Models worst rated model, best rated model
8. +13 Dodge(3)5 Durango, Challenger
15. -4 Lincoln(4)6. Nautilus, MKZ
16. — Ford(9)16* F150, EcoSport
18. -5 Buick(5)6. Regal, Encore
19. +7 Chrysler(2)2 Pacifica, 300
22. +2 GMC(6)7* Canyon, Yukon
25. -3 Chevy(11)19* Colorado, Tahoe
26. -3 Jeep(5)6. Wrangler, Grand Cherokee
30. — Cadillac(3)6. XT4, XT5
Not Rated RAM
* HDs & SuperDutys are not grouped in with Fullsized Pickups
Observations
1. The Detroit brands sell in huge numbers. They are also quick to discontinue slow selling models. Given the large discrepancies between rated models and the actual number of models each brand sold. very few American vehicle buyers responded to this survey.
2. Due to lack of Detroit vehicle buyers responding to this survey. The data collected on the Detroit brands is worthless. My apologies for wasting your time.
I have a 2016 GMC Canyon and a 2018 Colorado ZR2. They are some of the best vehicles I have had. Both have been extremely reliable with only a couple very minor issues.
I have been buying new Chevrolets since 1977, of which five were cars, nine trucks, and 2 SUVs — the trucks did service in my landscaping business.
I leased a 2011Volt and bought my 2015 Volt because I appreciated the reliability of the first one so much. I have also been a member of, reading and relying on CR testing to make decisions on my purchases for years. That being said, I have never taken one of their surveys for one single reason, and that’s because they are dependent upon their members. Have I had problems with my GM vehicles that would make me consider them unreliable? No, not even close! I will value CR driving impressions and not their survey results.
By KBB standers, the trade-in value of my cars and trucks would be considered excellent. A handful of these vehicles were handed down to family and friends and driven for up to twenty years. My dad worked on the assembly line ( may he rest in peace) for Oldsmobile in Lansing MI many years ago, and guess I’m just a 63-year-old daddy’s boy. So as long as Chevy builds them, I’ll keep buying them.
Yay, I own the least reliable car!!!
Owned a 2018 Camaro SS 1LE and traded it for a 2019 Camaro SS 1LE…. both never got the message to be unreliable.
No one ever accused Lexus or Porsche of being run by bean counters but GM, absolutely. I’ve read a few responses on GM Authority that poo-poo this as CRs “opinion” but it’s not. While I’m not a big fan of CR they’ve done “some” research and this is the result. GM should be fortifying this brand with everything they’ve got but they’re simply not and not giving luxury buyers a reason to switch/conquest. While Cadillac sold more cars recently that “ought” to happen when you go from 4 products to 6, but what would it have been if the vehicles were really break through high value and gorgeous? Genesis is going to find out because that’s what they’re delivering (not fully gorgeous but nicely styled)
Also regardless whether you like CR tens of thousands DO read it and follow their advice. Especially the car issue which think is their #1 issue. GM needs to address everything cited and follow up w CR “long term”. This is very bad PR and GM should take all pr seriously as this WILL damage their business.
GMs reputation is not great and imo certainly not improving. I predict a Chinese company takes GM in the next 20 years and turns it into the powerhouse it ought to be.
No one ever accused Lexus or Porsche of being run by bean counters but GM, absolutely. I’ve read a few responses on GM Authority that poo-poo this as CRs “opinion” but it’s not. While I’m not a big fan of CR they’ve done “some” research and this is the result. GM should be fortifying this brand with everything they’ve got but they’re simply not and not giving luxury buyers a reason to switch/conquest. While Cadillac sold more cars recently that “ought” to happen when you go from 4 products to 6, but what would it have been if the vehicles were really break through high value and gorgeous? Genesis is going to find out because that’s what they’re delivering (not fully gorgeous but nicely styled)
While many dismiss CR they have thousands of readers and the car issue is their #1 issue. GM ought to address everything laid out here and stay with CR long term as this information can help GM improve and grow their business.
GMs reputation is not great and imo certainly not improving. I predict a Chinese company takes GM in the next 20 years and turns it into the powerhouse it ought to be.
This CR survey covers a 19 year period from year 2000 thru year 2019. This survey includes the electronic sensor boom period from year 2000 to 2010. Many of those earlier year vehicles had sensor quality/failure issues, like tire pressure sensor monitor being most notable.
The trouble with this CR survey is that the CR press release headline does not disclose that the survey includes all years from 2000-2019. Until I looked up the parameters of this survey I didn’t know this.
Maybe a 5 to 10 year survey would be more important to a new vehicle buyer?
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!…”EIGHT SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION”…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!….sad they put this crap out with today’s computing technology,engineering technology,and precision machining technology…my last new G.M. for sure
Good bye, now you can show your patriotism by buying a Korean or Japanese brand car!
Retired GM employee. I switched to Honda. Two Honda’s over 120,000 accumulated miles. One visit to a dealer to replace a Takata airbag, accomplished in 45 minutes. The Hondas look, feel and are better quality vehicles.
GM has never made quality a priority over keeping costs down. The interiors of GM vehicles still not up to their competitors in quality appearance. Just go look at Ram 1500 vs. new Silverado 1500. This is one reason why Chevrolet, which used to sell 4 times as many trucks as Dodge, is now being outsold by Ram.
Consumer Reports and J D Power have consistently shown GM to be struggling with building quality, reliable, dependable vehicles. Some GM vehicles do well in initial quality but struggle in 3 year reliability surveys.
Actually, JD Power has shown GM to be above average in dependability studies for several years. Your Honda vehicles at 10-years will burn a whole in your pocket. Consumer Reports is good for lawn mowers and washing machines but not a really good source for reliable factual automobile studies.
… your comment speaks VOLUMES of your company dedication. If GM was good enough
for you to earn $72 an hour, now, it’s not good enough to support in retirement? You probably sat on
your ass and played dominoes while 24 year olds who truly wanted to be there had to do
your job. KEEP YOUR HONDAS little man. You love the sound of slamming a plastic door
and paying $400 for an oil change, and riding 3.74″ off the ground. We get it. But if GM
was that terrible, any man with standards and ethics would have quit 20 years ago. Moonpie
While you were sleeping GM has slipped from selling over 50 percent of the retail vehicles in the US to less than 15%. I’m guessing that did not happen because they built reliable vehicles that customers were satisfied with.
Again if GM is going to regain market penetration, they are going to have to start building better vehicles than their competition and sustain that to change prospective buyers minds.
By the way GM also went bankrupt as a result of their great products. Since then I draw my pension from Prudential not GM.
I live in the West and my friends and neighbors do not put GM vehicles very high on their shopping list.
GM has a long road rough ahead, I wish them well.
They have been consistently gaining the last 10-years, while others like Toyota have been falling. They will never get a large percentage back regardless of build quality as there is too much competition these days.
… remove all the female CR reviews and you’ll have a better-informed evaluation.
While I am, in no way, defending GM’s lackluster, hit or miss, approach to quality design or execution, CR’s “approach” to what is claimed to be a “survey” is the most bogus evaluation survey in history. There is no statistical honesty in the survey. It’s based on the CR subscriber input, and the average CR is nothing like an average anything else, certainly nothing like a statistical average of the American car/truck owner. Usually CR rates Corvette as a quality disaster. How many Corvette owners do you suppose subscribe to CR, certainly not a valid sample size. Just a guess, but I’d guess Volvo’s are over represented. Throw in the unspecified opinion of the CR staff, and you have the World’s most invalid survey. If I ran a news outlet, I’d never quote the survey. CR needs to concentrate on toaster and baby bottles.
I do not want to see GM make excuses……own it, and fix it.
I have owned GM products since the 1970s. I currently own a Chev Colorado, which has had a lot of minor problems.
Fortunatly, I own a 2016 so no trans issues so far. But, drivers windows who’s auto up and down feature has its own mind. A gear shift button that does not let me take the key out. A few recalls, and a drivers seat that has premature wear on the side from poor engineering, or lack of foreseeability.
I can see the low ratings for the Collie…….It is deserved……but none the less, I love my truck, love driving it……love the way it looks……love it’s off road performance…..
I just grin and bear it……GM should be ashamed and own it…..
“Collie”??????? are you trying to fit in somewhere?
I don’t have to fit it any place pecker head……I do my own thing…..
I purchased a 2015 Yukon Denali and just at 55,000 miles the Yukon developed problems with the radiator and transmission. What’s sad is that this all happened on summer vacation and landed the vehicle in the repair shop . To make matters worse I had to fork over 1500 bucks for the repair. NO MORE YOUKONS FOR ME. PERIOD
Have had my torque converter replaced at 12K miles, the left side lifters and push rod replaced on #7 AFM cylinder at 25K miles, and the passenger headlight (heavy moisture inside) and driver side seat cover replaced at 28K miles on my 2015 GmC AT 6.2. Regardless the truck has been good and has held up although the 8 speed shudder seems to be coming back at 41K miles. With that in mind I purchased an extended warranty and disregard the OLM and change engine oil and filter between 5 and 6K miles. Better safe than sorry IMO.
Do subscribe to CR but have never participated in their survey so my problems would drag down GMC a bit more.
i traded my pontiac in for a new toyota in 2012, and not had one problem. The pontiac was full of problems, with the engine, getting anti freeze getting past the head gasket. several times and Voss chevrolet was un able to fix it despite the worthless warrnty. I am very happy with my toyota with 620000 miles now and not one problem…
I have a 2013 Chevy Traverse LS, with apx. 90,000 miles on it. I bought it 3 years ago with 37,000 miles on it. It has been a great vehicle. The only problem I had was I had to put freon in the AC system 2 summers ago-that’s it. I love the vehicle and I will def. buy another Chevy. Hopefully I won’t have to buy another one soon as I hit a deer 2 nights ago with it!
Yes, those are really nice but a little too much vehicle for me. I prefer a subcompact or compact such as a Tracker or Encore.
I’m a first time and probably last time Cadillac owner. 2014 Caddy with about 110,000 miles and a transmission rebuild, infotainment screen assembly, two struts, and two wheel bearings. Not a happy camper, l love the car but all the expenses are making me a one owner consumer. Not a big fan of The Japanese cars but being pushed in that direction. JBR
Wow! That’s a lot of expensive repairs at a time when most cars are just getting a second wind. I’d be pissed too. That said, my ATS ha a rear end replaced at 29k miles, and the 4 banger didn’t put out enough power to get out of its’ own way.
Say what you want . . . I’ve been with the General for 50 years. Picked up where the old man left off. Buick, Pontiac, Chevy, Oldsmobile, Z28’s, Vettes, T-Types, GXP, SS, 2-doors, 4-doors, wagons. And for most of that time, Consumer Reports has been Asian-loyal. Meanwhile, I drove content, with one bad paint job (GM corrected) and one leaky valve cover. ‘course I DID have that Vega . . . but still . . . if GM sucks — you can’t prove it by me.
CR reliability surveys are useful for identifying problem areas among brands. However, since a loose trim piece is assigned the same reliability flag as a transmission failure, i.e. not weighted, the survey can’t be used to evaluate the DEGREE of reliability among brands.
A more useful indicator of vehicle worth is resale value and owner satisfaction. The Jeep Wrangler, one of CRs lowes rated vehicles, has among the highest resale value; while the “unreliable” Camaro has among the highest owner satisfaction.
Bottom line: Reliability is one but not the only factor in vehicle evaluation. If it were the only criterion, only Toyotas and Hondas would be purchased. GM must be doing something right if they’re #1 in USA vehicle sales.
Yes, and I remember about 10-years back when the Astro/Safari van just missed making Consumer Reports recommended list. The problem was the seatbelt chime was a quarter second late.
WHO IS BEHIND CR AND ITS METHODOLOGY?
I have a 2014 Silverado, V6 2 wheel drive shortbox. I have 92K on it. I’ve never had any problems other than regular maintenance.
I never thought I would agree with a Consumer Reports survey, but I can tell you (from first hand experience with my 2018 GMC Canyon – dead last in the rankings), the survey appears to be accurate. I purchased this $39K+ vehicle brand new (crew cab 4×4, V6, well equipped). The problems started on the test drive.
Problem #1 (on the test drive) – the steering wheel was tilted several degrees out of alignment on (minor issue, fixed before taking delivery). I thought that would be the end of my problems. Boy was I WRONG….
Problem #2 (which persists to this day, is getting worse, and started on the second day of ownership) – transmission fails to engage (into reverse or drive after sitting overnight). It takes about 5 to 8 seconds (after shifting, if the vehicle has sat for several hours) before the vehicle will move. 5 trips to three dealers, numerous calls to GMC “Customer Care” (which is a friggin joke by the way), and GM’s official response is “this is normal.” I’m 43 years old and have been driving since age 16. I have owned several late model vehicles, including competitor’s 8 speed automatics. It’s NOT NORMAL FOR A TRANSMISSION TO TAKE 5 to 8 SECONDS TO ENGAGE INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE FROM A STOP. GM you ARE LYING, you have a class action lawsuit against you for these transmissions, and your response is nothing short of confirming that you steal from you customers in the form of building inferior grade products that fail and/or aren’t even safe to drive.
Problem #3 (started at 4000 miles and is getting worse with every mile). Constant rattles in both B pillars (driver and passenger side). I have taken the truck in three times for these problems, and GM has only succeeded in making the problems worse. This thing rattles like a bucket of bolts – EVEN at 5 MPH on a smooth road (and right in your ear). I have NEVER driven a vehicle that has the ability to constantly rattle (sounds like metal on metal or electric wires rubbing against metal – constant while the vehicle is in motion) as much as this pile of excrement. 8000 miles currently on the vehicle and it has the amount of rattling that you might expect from a 200,000 mile “beater.” (By the way, I have taken extremely good care of this vehicle, and it’s NEVER been off road, or even on a rough road, and yet the interior sounds like it’s falling apart).
Problem #4 – I went to rotate the tires at 6500 miles and find that I can’t remove the right rear wheel because someone (or something) stripped the lug nuts. YES, you heard that right – STRIPPED LUG NUTS on the right rear wheel. The wheel studs were turning with the lug nuts, making it impossible to remove the right rear wheel. One of the studs on the left-rear wheel had the same issue. GM, to this day, as only fixed the right rear wheel (I had to go purchase my own lug nut from O’Realy auto parts to replace the damaged left rear lug nut due to the GM strike, and they still don’t have a simple lug nut in stock).
Problem #5 – rough idle/boarderline stalling. GM 3.6 direct injected engine, I have only run Chevron gas in it since new. While at a stop light it will often idle down to about 500 rpm, start stumbling, and feels like the engine is about to die.
Let me ask you this….would ANYONE IN THE THERE RIGHT MIND PURCHASE ANOTHER GM VEHICLE AFTER EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD? This has been a very lightly used vehicle (never even towed anything, or hauled anything heavier than 500 lbs), and yet it’s falling apart. 8000 miles and it’s a pile of garbage. The worst part of it is that GM clearly doesn’t giving a flying piece of excrement about there customer’s based on the ridiculous level of run-around I received and incompetence displayed by three GM dealers and there “customer service” department at corporate headquarters.
I have been a life-long GM customer, but AM DONE. I have already dumped one of my other GM vehicles for a competitor’s product, and will soon do that same with this rolling pile of dog shit that GM has built. Never again!!
Welcome to Consumer Reports’ least-reliable and most-troublesome new vehicle for 2020 year, Chevrolet Colorado V6 and GMC Canyon V6 ranked absolute dead-last. Dear GM, in order to improve reliability dramatically, build more of 2.5L 4-cylinder instead with 6-speed auto, not 8-speed auto. Well, I did try, but they are no where to be found in dealers. I would need to order one. Great…
Consumer Reports is a garbage site. I own a 2017 Camaro SS and it has been fantastic. I did have the transmission shudder but it was taken care of with a flush and refill with a new type of fluid,never failed and it wasn’t a big deal. I also own a 2019 Silverado Custom Trail Boss Z71 and it is also awesome and no issues at all.People are just too whiny these days.If you look it says Alfa Romeo and Acura are on the least reliable list and they are expensive rides,proving that price doesn’t equal quality at times.
Leo Getz take it to your Chevy dealer and demand that they do the 8 speed service bulletin.They do a flush,run air through the entire system for 3 hours, refill with the new Mobile 1 fluid, reprogram the transmission and it fixes it and it’s better than ever afterwards.Don’t let them bullshit you,there is a service bulletin,my Camaro SS was the gineua pig.
This is bullshit. I have a 17 Camaro 2SS and I love it.
Acura being 28th also…. come on man.
Who are you guys working for?
I was a 30 year GM customer good for 2 to 3 new vehicles a decade. Until this decade. GM engines are a problem. 3.6 has never been a great engine family. 1.4T is pure crap. I have had both this decade and nothing but trouble. You also have to consider GM customer service response if you have an issue. $3k of engine repair on a vehicle just out of warranty got me an offer of free OnStar for a year (I assume to call the tow truck). I know have a Nissan. Ram and just added a Camry as a commuter. 203 HP and 41 MPG from a non turbo non CVT drivetrain. I am quite certain I will get more than 70k out of it before the engine implodes like the Buick. GM lost a 30 yr customer and did not give a darn
I’m with you, very similar circumstances. I’ve been buying GM for over 20 years, but after the horrible ownership experience (constant problems) with a 2018 GMC Canyon (purchased new) I will never go back to GM. I feel completely ripped off. $35,000 spent for a pile of garbage that isn’t even driveable. 5 trips to the dealer; nothing fixed, vehicle isn’t even safe to drive and should have NEVER left the factory. Constant rattles in both B pillars, transmission takes 5 to 8 seconds to shift into drive or reverse after sitting overnight (they claim this is “normal”), stripped rear lug nuts (right from the factory), and rough idling/stalling from the 3.6 V6. I can’t make this up. Never again GM….you won’t be in business in ten years if you keep building this junk
Reality resides somewhere between CR and what you read on forums. Example: when Ford Sync first came out it was slow and cumbersome and CR absolutely caned Ford, – the uneducated public would think it was not working. Meanwhile on the forums you’d see posts like “ Sync not near as fast as the infotainment system in my xyz brand car. Oh well…”.
It wasn’t broken , it DID function, it was just slow. CR made it sound like it melted in the dash! Wife had an ‘09 F150 and it WAS slow but we got used to it and the truck btw never failed at anything.
Let’s say 16 people report that a trim piece fell off their Camaro. CR amplifies that to Camaro interiors are falling apart. But on the forums it’s “ yeah that same trim piece fell off my Camaro too, I fixed it with some super glue lol”. Not the tragedy CR would have you think.
And finally, CR has no idea how people treat their cars maintenance wise, operational wise or cosmetically. “Wow, I was at the car wash and blew an emblem right off the car”. At 1000 psi ( or maybe more) I suppose so. The owners who bucket wash their cars didn’t have that problem, but there’s CR, ready to report…
Bottom line: CR is an interesting read which soon lines the bird cage…
Consumer reports should stick to rating toasters. They don’t crap about cars. Car and Driver, Motor Trend, etc are the reliable sources for info on cars.
CR doesn’t accept ads, MT, C&D etc. do……
I have been driving since 1964- Oldsmobile s Buicks and now Cadillac to listen to what some of you people are talking about I do not under stand , all of our car were driven over 100k to the most 187k with None having serious problems , I use to subscribe to CR until I realized they are always against American products , I now cancelled their subscription . I purchase what has treated us the best and found not listing to cr works best . I don’t know were they get their reviewers from but I have never received a survey from them.
“I use to subscribe to CR until I realized they are always against American products”. Wrong-o tommy g.
CR ranked Acura and Alfa as among the least reliable….
CR has consistently, for YEARS, rated Kenmore Elite Appliances at the top of their testing results. Yes, another highly rated product sold by now bankrupt SEARs because you know it alls had to run down to Best Buy, Home Depot & Lowe’s to get the crap they sell. You get what you deserve America!!
Most if not all of my Kenmore appliances are rebadge products from other companies. I can get parts easily. I also noticed the fancy Ikea appliances are also rebadged too! They look very similar to designs at Home Depot/Menards.
YES. I believe Kenmore Elite is made by Frigidaire Whirlpool. Doesn’t make it a crappy product. Especially in the eyes of CR exhaustive appliance testing proceedurs developed over decades.
I can say having known people working in GM assembly years going back to the 60’s, assembly was inconsistent and you had to be careful what day of the week it was built and sometimes the vehicles were sabotaged by pissed off workers, angry at supervisors. My favorite story was a Flint factory worker putting pop bottles inside the door skins to cause rattles. Probably caused a dealer trip.
Sad that this is in complete opposition to the current chevy ads…..
…..and yet the Chevy ads tout the JD Power reliability awards…..soooooo which is it. Reliable or not?
J.D. Powers polls verified owners, and seems to specialize in early ownership experience. Consumer Reports doesn’t even verify ownership, and is totally self-reporting dependent. It also uses some undetermined staff test results, although they don’t test all models. I don’t know how they explain that.
I have owned GM vehicles off and on for over 50 years. If anyone is surprised that GM reliability is poorly rated they simply have not been paying attention or they don’t want to know. That said, I am not much of a CR fan, but they have been doing these ratings for decades and GM has never done well. GM seems to view as adequate quality control and reliability as anything that is reasonably close to Ford and Chrysler (whose quality is now being controlled by Fiat – yes, Fiat). That means they are content to be near the bottom forever. Cadillac, the Standard of the World, is dead last. Behind Alfa Romeo (another Fiat entry) which means it is behind the car maker that even the car magazines laugh about and they are Alfa shills. Car and Driver just reported that while some former Cruze and Focus buyers are buying GM and Ford SUVs, many are buying either Honda Civics and Toyota Corollas or SUVs by the same makers, you know, the ones with the long-term reputations for reliability. GM and Ford make some nice vehicles, but they are doomed by the fact that in too many cases those nice vehicles will be junk before their time.
Zero problems with my 2015 Canyon with 120,000 kms. But CR didn’t ask me…
Thank you for the information …after ordering a 2017 Cadillac ATS Premium Luxury and getting stuck with the 8 speed automatic this article got me looking into a Genesis G70 sedan..Nice car,..The G70 won North American car of the year,gets rave reviews from the auto critics and has an excellent warranty.I would have liked to stick with North American but they drive you away so again thanks for the article.
Seriously?? Are you here to “Brag” about your major “investment” in the South Korean economy when you could of had an Audi A4 or BUICK Regal BOTH rated at the TOP of the “compact luxury” category of CR in 2017 & 2019. Ahead of the Genesis G70. BTW, the Regal consistently gets the BEST “Road Test” rating from CR in the category. Yep, better than the overpriced AUDI & Beamer. Enjoy that Hyundai Korean Brand!!
1992 was near the end of GM for my family. Our 2nd to last car, a Buick Roadmaster, was literally falling apart. Not saying it didn’t have strengths, such as the 5.7 motor, but it’s sad when your car falls apart and looks so ghetto that a Toyota Corolla with every feature working is considered more valuable than the Buick. The most annoying thing, other than ghetto rust, trim parts falling off to happen was the odometer stopped working at ~85,000 miles. It started rolling back to 80,000 miles where it finally stopped for good. It was only worth $1,000 in 2003 when traded.
I get it. You abandoned GM at their low point in the late 80’s & 90’s. They’ve come a long way since then. They had to! Too bad they lost you & a generation or to of others with their reliability issues back then. As for me, I’m glad I stuck with them through my fav Pontiac line of sport sedans until that low life Obama demanded GM get rid of every Brand except Chevy & Caddy for the bailout money. Thank God GM held out to save Buick. NEVER had a lemon like others. But I don’t drive like others. I get brake jobs about every 60k miles when others are in every 20k for brakes. I don’t accelerate like I’m drag racing the guy next to me at EVERY light change like most. Thus my engines always got 200k plus w/o major issues. And BEFORE the new synthetic oils an oil change every 3-5k miles was the most important thing to do to get more life out of the engine.
I just had a family member have the transmission fail on their 2009 Malibu. Cracked plate inside at 100,000 miles. They researched and found some other model years were affected by a TSB but sadly found out it didn’t cover the 2009 model. $4000 later the car is back on the road, but I wouldn’t call the new GM better. They got burned on a common issue with the Malibu.
Perhaps because they spend a fortune buying most cars to test on their own test track in Connecticut?!!!?
if you think nothing fails on all imports you have to be smoking something also remember cr is and always dislikes American products ( they must be paid off )
Consumer Reports should stick to rating toasters and leave the auto ratings to the guys that have ben doing it for years. Car and Driver for example.
One good and reliable way to tell if a particular brand or vehicle is worth a sh*t is to drive by auto repair and transmission shops to see what vehicles are mainly there. There is a transmission shop right down the street from my house and all I see are dodge and Chevy trucks up on the lift- like all the time! An occasional Ford will be there and I’ve never seen a Toyota. Also, resale value on car brands to a huge tale too. If a used car of a brand holds good resale value, then most likely it’s a good vehicle and brand to go with.
That’s actually not a good indication of what to look for David.A better and more scientific way to research this is to talk to these shops and parts houses.They know the trends sure but the shops can see who has done regular maintenance and who doesn’t.The maintenance schedules are in the manuals for a reason and many people are just ignorant to them.Toyota trucks don’t tow massive toy haulers and fifth wheel trailers behind them like GM,Ram and Ford do which is very taxing on a powertrain and requires extra maintenance.I sold auto parts for Carquest for 15 years and I saw many trends,mainly that people often just drive vehicles into the ground and go get another one.
Why GM cars suck? Because they are AmeriCancer.
What the hell does that even mean?
I have owned GM cars since Dad started in 1949 ,, Chevy Pont , Olds , Buick and Cad ,, I myself 12 Olds with the most mileage of a 1998 88 , 1997 Aurora ,both racking up 187k . All were resold with factory engine and trans never apart . Gm sucks ,i don’t think so …
I think you had better check JD Powers for the quality rating by individual owners not by someone who obviously doesnt have his facts correct
The day consumers report says anything good about an American product it will snow at the equator .I canceled mine.