This Is the Least Dependable Car in America

By Douglas A. McIntyre Published Mar 4, 9:00AM EST

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This Is the Least Dependable Car in America — © bortnikau / iStock Editorial via Getty Images

With car inventory as tight as it currently is, buyers and owners no doubt look at dependability of their vehicles or potential purchase. The least dependable car in America is the Land Rover.

Supply chain problems have meant some auto manufacturers needed to shutter assembly lines. The problem is so severe that even a strike among the truck drivers that deliver auto parts threatens to further shrink an already small industry inventory. However, the primary reason for these inventory problems is a shortage of semiconductor chips used in the electronics and infotainment systems in cars.

Prices have been a barrier for people who can find the car they would like to buy. Dealers are raising prices above the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. Car executives have begun to complain that their own dealers are doing a disservice to their customers. (This is the car that dealers overcharge for the most.)

Drivers have recently held on to cars for record amounts of time. The average age of an American car on the road in 2021 was 12.1 years, according to IHS Markit. That is up from 9.6 years in 2002. One theory of why people hold these cars longer is that they are built better than a generation ago, which suggests that they are more dependable. (This is the highest rated car in America.)

Car research leader J.D. Power releases its U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study each year. The just-released 2022 edition is the 33rd year the company has done the research.

The latest study looks at cars from the 2019 model year, cataloging 184 problems in nine categories: climate, driving assistance, driving experience, exterior, features/controls, displays infotainment, interior, powertrain, and seats.

The primary yardstick for dependability in the study is problems per 100 vehicles. The research divides car brands into two categories, mass market and premium. Ironically, mass-market brands averaged 190 problems per 100 vehicles, while premium brands averaged 204 problems per 100 vehicles. The authors believe that the more elaborate electronics and infotainment systems in premium cars may be the reason.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed the report to find the least dependable cars in America. The brand with the worst performance is the Land Rover, the high-end sport utility vehicle brand, with 284 problems per 100 cars. The old British SUV brand is currently owned by Tata Motors, based in India. To compare the most dependable brand, Kia, has 145 problems per 100 vehicles.

The second worst brand is Ram, with 266 problems per vehicle. Ram sells one of the three most popular pickups in America and competes with the Ford F-series and Chevy Silverado. (These are America’s most popular pickup trucks.)

These are the least dependable car in America

32. Kia
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 145

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31. Buick
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 147

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30. Hyundai
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 148

29. Genesis
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 155

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28. Toyota
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 158

27. Lexus
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 159

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26. Porsche
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 162

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25. Dodge
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 166

24. Cadillac
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 168

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23. Chevrolet
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 171

22. MINI
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 173

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21. Mazda
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 179

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20. Lincoln
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 180

19. Mitsubishi
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 183

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18. BMW
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 187

17. Ford
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 188

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16. GMC
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 192

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15. Mercedes-Benz
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 195

14. Jeep
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 201

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13. Nissan
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 205

12. Volkswagen
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 217

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11. Subaru
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 226

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10. Infiniti
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 228

9. Honda
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 230

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8. Audi
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 232

7. Jaguar
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 233

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6. Chrysler
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 240

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5. Acura
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 244

4. Alfa Romeo
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 245

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3. Volvo
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 256

2. Ram
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 266

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1. Land Rover
> Problems per 100 vehicles: 284

About the Author Douglas A. McIntyre →

Douglas A. McIntyre is the co-founder, chief executive officer and editor in chief of 24/7 Wall St. and 24/7 Tempo. He has held these jobs since 2006.

McIntyre has written thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St. He is an expert on corporate finance, the automotive industry, media companies and international finance. He has edited articles on national demographics, sports, personal income and travel.

His work has been quoted or mentioned in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Time, The New Yorker, HuffPost USA Today, Business Insider, Yahoo, AOL, MarketWatch, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Forbes, The Guardian and many other major publications. McIntyre has been a guest on CNBC, the BBC and television and radio stations across the country.

A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard College, McIntyre also was president of The Harvard Advocate. Founded in 1866, the Advocate is the oldest college publication in the United States.

TheStreet.com, Comps.com and Edgar Online are some of the public companies for which McIntyre served on the board of directors. He was a Vicinity Corporation board member when the company was sold to Microsoft in 2002. He served on the audit committees of some of these companies.

McIntyre has been the CEO of FutureSource, a provider of trading terminals and news to commodities and futures traders. He was president of Switchboard, the online phone directory company. He served as chairman and CEO of On2 Technologies, the video compression company that provided video compression software for Adobe’s Flash. Google bought On2 in 2009.