Posted on 12/02/2007 10:04:23 AM PST by Chi-townChief
Whether it's the tried-and-true Butterball, the more enigmatic Tofurkey or pricey "pastured" birds, turkey is simply what we eat for Thanksgiving.
But we've come to know another type of turkey--vehicles that, for some reason or another, have been problematic or simply haven't found their place in the market. Most have make-or-break issues with shoppers: recalls, reliability, resale value and safety.
In compiling our fourth annual list of "Automotive Turkeys," we looked at four factors, all pertaining to 2007 model-year vehicles: number of recalls to date, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database; reliability ratings from Consumer Reports; depreciation, in the form of Automotive Leasing Guide's (ALG) star ratings; and safety, from NHTSA and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash-test ratings.
Besides a standout number of recalls, we looked specifically for below-average reliability, high depreciation and NHTSA ratings below four stars and/or IIHS results of "Marginal" or "Poor." Of the vehicles that met at least two of these qualifications, we also looked subjectively at other factors, such as fuel efficiency and cost.
Topping the list: The Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Nitro, Jeep Liberty, Dodge Caliber and Dodge Magnum.
All Recalls Are Not Alike Safety recalls, which can be initiated either by automakers or by the federal government, are overseen by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In either case, NHTSA monitors the recall process and maintains a database of pertinent recalls, accessible through its SaferCar.gov Web site.
Some of these recalls, says Jeff Bartlett, deputy editor of ConsumerReports.org, are more urgent, with safety or mechanical consequences, requiring an immediate trip to the dealership, while others may be non-urgent or only related to particular trim or configurations.
Bartlett says looking at the number of recalls that could affect a particular model can provide "an interesting road sign" into what vehicle ownership might be like. Frequent recalls should be a warning to shoppers, he says. They're not necessarily a sign of reliability, but more about inconvenience, which, of course, "has its price."
Indeed, recalls can be a lasting negative experience for the owner.
"How negatively depends on how badly or how well the manufacturer handles it," says Stephanie Brinley, senior analyst for the automotive-industry consulting firm AutoPacific. The amount of owner inconvenience often relies on the dealer body, she says, and how well dealerships address the issues. If it "breaks on the six o'clock news," Brinley says, referring to the widely publicized recalls that automakers occasionally face, that's an especially big negative in perception.
In looking purely at the number of recalls by model for 2007, several Chrysler (including Dodge and Jeep) models stood out for having more than just a recall or two. CR's Bartlett wasn't willing to speculate about Chrysler having more recalls, but he said that automakers have been increasingly sharing powertrain and interior components across much of their vehicle lines, and if there are problems it can bring down the entire brand.
That looks to be the case for Chrysler, at least in two instances. A massive recall involving anti-lock braking system control modules affected 11 different Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models, including the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Caliber, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Nitro and Jeep Liberty, which were all on our turkeys list, while another recall concerning automatic-transmission control modules potentially affected eight different vehicles, including the Magnum, Nitro and Liberty.
Residual Value Another factor that can or should be an indicator of a turkey is residual value. John Blair, CEO of Automotive Leasing Guide, which provides depreciation estimates for use in the automotive financing industry, says that residual value is commonly associated with leases--as a higher residual value typically translates to a lower monthly payment--but it's actually more important to those who buy.
That's because leases are for a set term at a monthly payment that's set by the bank, "but buy the car and you're stuck with it," says Blair. "It can be quite different when you're comparing a Honda to a Hyundai."
For instance, Blair says that ALG's three-year residual on a Honda Accord is about 55%--meaning that it is estimated to be worth about 55% of its original value after three years--while for a Hyundai Sonata, it's only 40%, which translates to a difference in value of $3,750 over those three years on a sticker price of $25,000. Although Blair added that, generally speaking, vehicles with lower residuals have lower appeal and often have automaker incentives that apply to the purchase price, making up for some of that difference.
What's more, the difference between vehicles can be even more pronounced than this example. On ALG's five-star ratings system, with five-star vehicles having the best depreciation ratings, the Accord has a four-star rating, while the Sonata has two stars.
Staying Safe On The Road Safety is another important consideration for shoppers, and if major crash-test results are any indication, there's still a wide range of safety available to occupants, depending on the model.
"We're consistently finding that safety is one of the top considerations as people shop for a new car," says Bartlett, who adds that the existing crashworthiness ratings are the best way to identify the safest vehicles.
U.S. shoppers have two different crash-test ratings sets to peruse, those run by NHTSA and those conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Among new vehicles today, those with "Marginal" or "Poor" ratings from the IIHS or anything less than four stars on the federal five-star scale are standouts in a not-so-positive sense.
With criteria like this, it's a lot easier to beware the turkeys. And for the record, founding father Ben Franklin, mostly a vegetarian who argued for the turkey as our national bird, would have probably gone for the Tofurkey.
Automaker Reactions It's not shocking that most automakers reacted with surprise and some resistance to being included in our list of Automotive Turkeys. Regarding the Ford Crown Victoria, spokesman Jim Cain says that it's hardly fair to include a vehicle that's no longer on sale to the public for 2008.
"The Crown Victoria is far from a turkey. It's the preferred vehicle for police and taxi fleets across the country because it is affordable to purchase and operate, and because it is remarkably durable," says Cain. "In fact, our sales to police agencies are up this year, despite new competitors from Dodge and Chevy."
GM On the Grand Prix's below-average resale value, GM spokeswoman Debbie Frakes says, "It is not uncommon for vehicles at the end of their lifecycle, like the Grand Prix, to experience lower residual values than when the vehicle was fresh on the market. In addition, GM is taking positive steps to improve residual values on all of our vehicles by reducing daily rental fleet sales and other activities that can negatively affect both wholesale and retail pricing."
And regarding the Chevrolet Aveo, Alan Adler, GM's spokesman for safety, says that the "Aveo meets or exceeds all federal motor-vehicle safety standards, which is the case for all GM vehicles."
Adler also says, "As for recalls, from time to time, things will occur that cause the need for a recall. In more than 80% of these cases, GM initiates the field action on its own and informs the appropriate governmental authorities. The safety of all GM customers is of paramount importance."
Hyundai In response to Hyundai's single entry on the list, the Entourage minivan, Jim Trainor, manager of product public relations at Hyundai Motor America, says that the Entourage is arguably one of the safest minivans on the road, as it's an IIHS Top Safety Pick and gets straight five-star ratings in NHTSA tests. "Clearly, it doesn't add up." He also calls the Entourage's single recall "an anomaly," explaining that the brake-light wiring-harness recall affects only 790 vehicles out of the 16,260 Entourages sold in the '07 model year. But Trainor had no comment regarding the model's reliability, which has ranked low.
Chrysler Shawn Morgan, Chrysler's senior manager for Real Wheel Drive Communications, said this in response to the carmaker's five entries on our list: "A simple counting of safety recalls does not provide a meaningful assessment of a vehicle's performance for two reasons: One, common componentry accounts for several of the actions you have listed. For example, one recall action is a common component used on all five vehicles. You count it as five, while we count it as one. There are several other examples of this--Liberty has three recalls, with two being common, while Magnum has two recalls and both are common to other vehicles. Two, several of the recalls cited involve small numbers of vehicles; these issues were identified and addressed early through our rigorous internal monitoring processes. For example, of the two recalls for Caliber, one is less than 400 vehicles. Meaning they were identified early and fixed before significant numbers of vehicles reached the market. Early identification and action are goals of our internal monitoring processes."
She also noted that, "As for overall safety, these vehicles all meet or exceed all Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Our vehicles have performed well in a variety of internal and external test conditions, including the government's frontal- and side-impact tests. Specifically, Nitro and Caliber received all 5-star ratings on NHTSA's front- and side-impact crash tests. Sebring, Magnum and Liberty received the highest rating, five stars, in three out of four categories of NHTSA's front- and side-impact tests. "
Nissan did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
I’m surprised that goofy 4-door Charger didn’t make the list.
My dad had a ‘31 Model A but longgggggggggggggggggg before I was born (I think it was a ‘51 Merc then.)
Same here. Turbine smooth engine, superior handling, never had a problem, good residuals, excellent mileage, attentive dealer (even with older BMW).
I was born in ‘44 but there were quite a few A’s still on the road then. My older brother’s first car was a ‘52 Merc bought used in ‘59. That was quite a ride!
Funny, I did not see any mention of all the recalls by the most sacred of automotive giants...Toyota. Yes friends, Toyota has racked up several recalls during the last few years. Bet you didn’t read or hear about it in the MSM either.
“I like the new DeSotos.”
Ah, my first car (a ‘57, bought very used for $50).
I think it figures out as 329. Lots of power/torc and good mileage for a V-8. 15-17 both highway/city in my 4x4 F-150.
I have towed over 12,000# ( lol...slow wild ride with no elec brakes on trailer) but it had plenty of balls to pull it with, just hard to stop.
“I like the new DeSotos.”
Of course, It’s Delightful, It’s Delovely, It’s DeSoto :)
I’m a committed car guy and I have to agree with you that VWs are really good vehicles. Like you, I have had some issues with American vehicles in the past but I have owned a couple of recent models (Pontiac and Saturn) and was quite impressed with the cost/quality ratio.
Since about the mid-90’s American manufacturers have really begun to step up. I’m a research nut when it comes to buying a new vehicle and will take up to 3 months to make up my mind. Sometimes that research points to an American vehicle, sometimes not. Currently, I drive a Nissan Titan. It was simply the best truck for the money when I bought. As an “import” it was built 60 miles from my house.
I bought an 07 Wrangler- the new four door model.
I’ve had problems, I will tell you. Little annoying things. It’s a blast to drive, but it’s just rough around the edges. Not real solid, like a Jeep should be.
Speaking of cars, I keep seeing a commercial on TV which bugs the heck out of me. It’s for the Ford Hybrid Escape. The young girl tells her dad t0 drop her off a block away from her friends because they all drive hybrids. The camera then pans to the rear of the Escape and clearly shows that “Hybrid” is written on the rear of the vehicle.
The dad explains to the girl that their car is a hybrid. The girl askes why he never mentioned theat before. The dad responds “because I didn’t think I had to”. What they should of had the dad continue to say was “... because I thought at your age you could read.”
This is just another reason that I can add to my list of why I never have or never will buy a Ford.
ping
Well, on the mustang side, I was into drag racing for a while when I was a young 2dLt with time on my hands and I have seen 4.6s with 40K miles on them with rod holes out the side of the block, whereas you can dog a 5.0 out for 200K miles racing it every weekend and it just asks for more. All you have to do to one of them is liberate it from the smog control crap and it will love you back. I do think they got it right on the 4.6 after 2001 or so, the first few years they were really bad.
But I want carburetors on everything too, so thats just me. I had an 85 stang with a 4 bbl and there is no sweeter sound then a 5 speed with a 4bbl and glasspacks.
In my opinion the worst cars/trucks in the world to work on are Honda's, Nissan's, Audi's and Chevy's in that order. that may not be true for every model, I expect the Nissan hard-body trucks arnt that bad, but I was thinking of the altima I changed a motor on and that was a nightmare from the word go.
I either dont know the tricks to them or Chevy trucks are too hard to work on. I did a rear main seal on a suburban and it was a royal pain. I can do it on my dodge or a jeep Cherokee in less then 30 minutes and only about 45 on a 5.0 mustang.
The S-10s used to be pretty awesome for their intended purpose as well. I had an 89 with the 2.5L and a 5 speed that was a real trooper.
I’ve got 160,000 miles on my 02 Focus ZX3 5-speed, after getting rid of a turdo Saab. This car is more fun to drive and thrifty. Only problem: the steering column locked in Grand Junction Colorado.
Hey, I just don’t think an automatic is sporty.....unless it’s in a very expensive car.
I don’t drag race but I have done a lot of hard trailer pulling and hauling with an ‘89 150 that I bought new. I just sold the old truck about a month ago and the 302 was still running strong with 200k on it but the rear seal was pouring oil out, that seems to be the main weakness on that engine. No doubt it was a toughie! There was never a problem pulling a load but it could be real scary trying to stop! I used to laugh at people who seem to think they need the biggest engine made to pull a trailer. All you really need (unless you are climbing mountains) is the right gearing and a way to stop all that load.
What's the world coming to?
thats true, I think the biggest difference in the trucks now if they are so light, they have light duty brakes, suspension and frame. Also the body panels are thinner, sometimes even plastic, and they cant take the abuse of actual work like the older ones can.
My uncle has an old 1 ton dodge with a flatbed that could pull a mountain and has a slant six. Top speed: 59 mph, revved out!
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