Car Brands With the Most Frustrated Drivers

Volkswagen is one of four car brands the ACSI gave a score of 77 in its customer satisfaction index, falling short of the industry-wide score of 79. The German automaker had one of the steepest declines in its satisfaction score, falling from 82 the previous year. Despite this decline, sales have increased by 6.8% in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018.

Mazda is struggling to keep consumers satisfied. Its score of 77 is the lowest the Japanese car brand has received in 20 years. Compared to the first half of 2018, Mazda’s sales through June 2019 have fallen by more than 15%, one of the sharpest drops among automakers in the U.S. market.

Fiat is one of four automakers Fiat Chrysler Automobiles owns to rank among the brands with the most frustrated drivers. The Italian brand is struggling to make a splash in the United States. It has struggled with numerous quality issues and declining sales, leading to speculation that the brand could soon leave the U.S. market altogether.

Ford is the only automaker on this list that did not see a decline in its satisfaction score over the last year, remaining at 77 — slightly behind the overall industry score of 79. Ford’s satisfaction score has risen above the industry standard only once, in 2011.

2019 marked Kia’s second straight year of declining customer satisfaction. The Hyundai brand dropped from an 82 in 2017, to 79 in 2018, and 76 in 2019. Kia’s customer satisfaction score has only topped the industry standard once since 2006.

Mitsubishi, along with Nissan, is one of two Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance brands to rank among the brands with the most frustrated drivers. In the five years it has been scored in the customer satisfaction index, Mitsubishi has never outperformed the industry standard and never scored higher than a 79.

Jeep, along with two other automakers, has an ACSI score of 76. This is below the overall industry score of 79, a familiar outcome for the Fiat Chrysler brand. In 26 years, Jeep has never scored above the overall industry standard satisfaction index — the only car brand for which that is the case.

No automaker had a steeper decline in its customer satisfaction score than Nissan. After scoring an 80 in 2018, it fell to 75 in 2019, the third lowest score among all major car manufacturers. This is the lowest score in the brand’s history.

Dodge’s satisfaction score of 74 marks the lowest result in the company’s history. Dodge has consistently underperformed in the 21st century — it has not earned a score higher than the industry standard since 2000. Its first half 2019 sales fell by more than 9% compared to the same period in 2018.

Chrysler has by far the most frustrated drivers of any major auto brand in the United States. No other brand came close to its customer satisfaction score of 71, which is well below the industry standard of 79. This is the second straight year Chrysler has had the lowest satisfaction score, earning a 74 in 2018. One of four Fiat Chrysler brands on this list, Chrysler has not topped the industry standard score since 2004.