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No two drivers are alike, but nearly all would prefer to drive a safe, reliable, and comfortable car. However, it is not always easy to engineer a vehicle to have all of these qualities.
Many car owners are disappointed when they find out their new car breaks down often or does not handle like they hoped it would when they bought or leased it. But because cars are large financial commitments, consumers cannot easily replace them, and once they buy a car, they simply keep driving it and deal with the frustration of driving a substandard car.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed car brand scores from the American Customer Satisfaction Index for 2019, which measures consumer satisfaction, to determine the car brands with the most frustrated drivers. The ACSI ranked automakers on a scale from 0 to 100. The industry-wide score was 79, with some companies scoring much lower. Year-to-date U.S. sales data came from GoodCarBadCar and is current through June 2019. Parent company information came from Consumer Reports.
Car companies need to keep their drivers satisfied, or they risk sales declines. Many automakers are able to keep over half of their previous drivers coming back to the same brand. Others fail to impress previous drivers or expert reviewers, and their reputation suffers, and car shoppers look elsewhere for their new ride. These are the car brands with plummeting sales.
No company intends to make a bad car. Vehicles, however, are so complex, that there will always be minor flaws and bugs that will slip through the cracks and make it out onto the showroom floor and eventually into to American garages. No car can be absolutely perfect, but while some companies put out new model years with relatively few issues, others are loaded with issues. These are America’s best and worst new cars.
Click here to see the car brands with the most frustrated drivers
Click here to see the car brands with the happiest drivers
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10. Volkswagen
> 2019 customer satisfaction index: 77 (tied)
> 2018 customer satisfaction index: 82 (-6.1% change)
> U.S. YTD sales: 184,608
> Parent company: Volkswagen Group
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.
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9. Mazda
> 2019 customer satisfaction index: 77 (tied)
> 2018 customer satisfaction index: 80 (-3.8% change)
> U.S. YTD sales: 138,553
> Parent company: Mazda Motor Corp.
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.
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8. Fiat
> 2019 customer satisfaction index: 77 (tied)
> 2018 customer satisfaction index: 78 (-1.3% change)
> U.S. YTD sales: 5,103
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
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.
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7. Ford
> 2019 customer satisfaction index: 77 (tied)
> 2018 customer satisfaction index: 77 (0.0% change)
> U.S. YTD sales: 1,170,982
> Parent company: Ford Motor Co.
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.
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6. Kia
> 2019 customer satisfaction index: 76 (tied)
> 2018 customer satisfaction index: 79 (-3.8% change)
> U.S. YTD sales: 304,844
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
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.
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5. Mitsubishi
> 2019 customer satisfaction index: 76 (tied)
> 2018 customer satisfaction index: 79 (-3.8% change)
> U.S. YTD sales: 71,100
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
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.
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4. Jeep
> 2019 customer satisfaction index: 76 (tied)
> 2018 customer satisfaction index: 80 (-5.0% change)
> U.S. YTD sales: 456,281
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
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.
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3. Nissan
> 2019 customer satisfaction index: 75
> 2018 customer satisfaction index: 80 (-6.3% change)
> U.S. YTD sales: 653,978
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
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.
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2. Dodge
> 2019 customer satisfaction index: 74
> 2018 customer satisfaction index: 77 (-3.9% change)
> U.S. YTD sales: 228,099
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
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.
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1. Chrysler
> 2019 customer satisfaction index: 71
> 2018 customer satisfaction index: 74 (-4.1% change)
> U.S. YTD sales: 64,422
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
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.
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