AutoGuide Group’s first annual Lemon List revealed which automotive brands had the most reported lemons, and by using a similar methodology to comb though the data, we also have some insight into which individual car models could be the worst offenders.
Our study revealed that Toyota, Honda and Mercedes have the fewest reported lemons, so it’s no surprise that their cars aren’t found on this list. However, with Fiat, Cadillac and Porsche at the bottom of our list with the most reported lemons, these brands are surprisingly absent when it comes to reported lemons for individual car models.
ALSO SEE: What is a Lemon?
The reason for this discrepancy is that these offenders are low-volume vehicle manufacturers and their Lemon List ranking is, therefore, more significantly affected by even a small number of overall lemons. Volume brands may not have a significant portion of lemons in their overall production, but certain models still stand out as having an unusually high number of problems.
Jeep stands out as a brand with a dubious ranking on this list and the Lemon List, having a few models with a high number of reported lemons, as well as a high number of overall reported lemons for the brand.
The following list is a snapshot of which cars were mentioned the most in our data as cars our forum users have experienced and think are lemons, ranked from fewest to most mentions.
Chevrolet Cruze – 4 mentions
GMC Acadia – 5 mentions (tie)
Chevrolet Silverado – 5 mentions (tie)
Dodge Challenger – 5 mentions (tie)
Ford Focus – 6 mentions (tie)
Ford Escape – 6 mentions (tie)
Jeep Wrangler – 9 mentions
Jeep Cherokee – 12 mentions
Methodology
This study was intended to be a report of consumer sentiment, rather than an outright list of cars officially classified as lemons. The information gathered is provided by users in conversations with other members across the AutoGuide Group’s 500-plus forums. Using proprietary software designed to hone in on keywords and sentiment, the data is collected and then further sorted to determine legitimate complaints.
The first annual Lemon List is comprised of all legitimate complaints of a lemon for vehicles in North America from the 2010 model year and newer. Complaints included on the Lemon List are only those made between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2015.
