It’s human nature to always be searching for – and awed by – the latest and greatest. That tendency certainly extends to the automotive world, where the best new cars get all the headlines. But there are some important lessons to learn if we reverse course and look at some of the worst cars in history.
There was a good idea hiding somewhere within all of these vehicles, but in each case those good intentions were betrayed by ulterior motives, fueled collectively by a calamitous combination of greed, frugality, ego and short-sightedness. The result is five of the worst cars ever.
DeLorean DMC-12
It may be strange seeing the DeLorean DMC-12 on this list of the worst cars in history considering its fame and popularity. But off the silver screen, the car fell far short of expectations.
Former General Motors executive John DeLorean touted the DMC-12 as the sports car of the future. With its gull wings and sleek metallic look, it certainly has the aesthetics to meet that boast. But behind that façade was a heavy, underpowered and overpriced vehicle.
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Download Now!Originally, the company expected to sell 12,000 cars per year. In the end, only about 9,000 vehicles were made during its two-year run and the company was shut down in 1982. Ironically, the DeLorean became iconic just a few years later with its prominent role in 1985’s “Back to the Future.” The movie franchise ensured that the car’s legacy would extend well past its seemingly destined fate as an automotive footnote.
The Yugo
The Yugo was a decades-old Soviet-era Yugoslavia automobile imported to the U.S. in 1985. The decision to sell the car in America was the brainchild of entrepreneur Malcolm Bricklin and was destined for failure from the start. In an interview with Car and Driver, Bricklin recalled tasking his employees to find the cheapest car in the world. They did so at a 50-year-old factory in Yugoslavia that was manufacturing a 30-year-old car. “We took this piece-of-crap car and within 14 months had set up 400 U.S. dealers and made 528 changes to the car,” Bricklin said.
Yugoslavia had been manufacturing the car for years. Bricklin’s plan was to spruce it up and bring to America. There was no amount of changes that could overcome the vehicle’s poor quality, however. The Yugo’s engine generated a measly 55 horsepower, making the car dangerous to drive on American roads. The car was notoriously unreliable (the rear window defroster was reportedly there to keep your hands warm when you needed to push the vehicle), had many parts made of plastic, and oddly enough, featured carpeting as a standard feature.
But for the people selling the Yugo, the car was all about one thing: profit margin. The vehicle only cost $2,000 wholesale and was sold stateside for nearly twice that. Consumers quickly realized that even $4,000 was too much for the Yugo.
Pontiac Aztek
For as much grief as the Aztek got, it was actually at the forefront of what would prove to be one of the top automotive trends of the past two decades. When the car was first introduced in the early aughts, SUVs were surging in popularity and the idea of crossovers – vehicles with the space and power of an SUV combined with the on-street abilities of a sedan – was just beginning to take hold.
In fact, if you look the Aztek concept car, it doesn’t look all that dissimilar to some of today’s crossover models. Time magazine may have put it best, saying, “The shame is, under all that ugliness, there was a useful, competent crossover.”
Clearly, the idea behind the car was good, but the execution was not. The problem was that the Aztek was designed by committee. No singular, coherent vision took the lead and just about everybody got a say in the design process. Even the bean counters made their mark involved. GM accountants reportedly ordered the Aztek to be built on an existing minivan platform in order to reduce costs. This platform, however, was not long enough to hold the Aztek, forcing designers to create a box-like tail end.
The Aztek was in production all of five years, from 2001-2005. But showing that everything comes full circle, the car got a significant popularity boost when it was prominently featured as Walter White’s vehicle of choice in the uber-popular television show “Breaking Bad.”
Ford Pinto
While most of the cars on this list are here due to aesthetic design fails, poor craftsmanship or lackluster sales, several of the worst cars ever made were actually dangerous to drive. These vehicles had such fundamental mechanical and design flaws that they posed a serious risk to the occupants of the car.
Chrysler’s PT Cruiser had a unique look, which many people derided, but it’s most notable for its mercurial nature. The car was known to shut off in the middle of driving, completely out of the blue. The 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, meanwhile, had an engine that exploded when it made 90 horsepower.
But the most infamously dangerous worst car in history is the Ford Pinto. The only feature that needs to be discussed about this 1970s vehicle is its fuel tank. The Pinto famously featured an exposed fuel tank. Cars involved in rear-end collisions, even at slow speeds, tended to burst into flames. Later on, the “Pinto memo” was publicized, which proved the company concluded it was cheaper to settle victims’ lawsuits ($50 million) than to recall and fix the cars ($120 million).
Aptly, the coda to the Pinto’s story is the car’s presence in American Museum of Tort Law.
Ford Edsel
We’ve reached the pinnacle of the worst cars in history. For decades, the terms “automotive failure” and “the Edsel” have been all but synonymous. So what went so wrong?
In the mid-1950s, Ford came to the conclusion that it should expand its product line. Specifically, it needed a new, mid-priced brand to go in between its flagship Lincoln and mid-level Mercury. Studies predicted that “by 1965 half of all U.S. families … would be buying more cars in the medium-priced field, which already had 60% of the market,” according to Time magazine. And so the Edsel was created, named after Henry Ford’s son, no less.
It’s not so much that the Edsel was such a terrible car – although it certainly had its faults, namely its price. It’s that it suffered the unfortunate fate of being hyped up as the greatest thing on four wheels. Believe it or not, Ford booked an hourlong prime time television slot on CBS to unveil the car, claiming the broadcast day as “E Day.” “The Edsel Show” included performances by Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney and Louis Armstrong. By this time, however, the push for compact cars was well underway. Just two years after its prime-time debut, the Edsel’s run was over after less than 120,000 were sold. Ford had estimated it could sell up to 400,000 cars a year. In total, the company spent roughly $350 million on the Edsel’s research, design, tooling and production facilities, the equivalent of nearly $3.2 billion in 2021.
To add insult to injury, while the Edsel was cementing its place as the biggest automotive flop ever, “The Edsel Show” was nominated for an Emmy.
What do you think are some of the worst cars in history? Let us know in the comments below!
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The Pinto fire/explosion was often a result of a rear end crash that caused the gas tank to rupture on the differential housing. The leaking gas would ignite. The recall/fix was to put shield between the two.
1974 Porsche 914 otherwise known as the Volkswagen Porsche; mid-engine so absolutely no one wanted to work on it, the engine was accessed by a tine pop-up grill behind the rear window. It had a removable roof panel that leaked when it rained, the stick shift was mushy and 1st gear wasn’t synchronized so if you forgot and tried to down shift before the car was completely stopped ouch, the 4 cylinder version that was available in the US (like mine) was underpowered, the pop-up headlights only worked when they felt like it, but worst of all, it would break down roughly half the times I drove it. I know sports cars are temperamental but come on! But…Mrs. Peel drove one in the Avengers do damn it I had to have one!
I have a friend who owns a DeLorean, properly cared for the car runs great and should never be on this list. If you know the history the problem was funding and a little white powder killed the car. Not the car – the silver jewlery John DeLorean was eventually invited to wear. The on impact instant glass blender AKA AMC Pacer should be on the list. or the “I would rather be on my roof” Suzuki Samurai.
It definitely needs to be driven to stay running well. Some items were cutting edge for the time but they are right to say it was underpowered for weight. In the end it makes at least 1-2 people’s day to take a picture with the car any time it is driven & they also do mention the popularity. Just seems like author had limited word count.
i had a 66 corvair, it had that rear engine. ran well. went fron queens ny to morris plains nj in 18 inches of snow while most cars were stuck. kept in for 10 years and resold it
I nominate the 1968 Austin America that I bought new for a 30 mile commute. Big mistake. The car could not get out of it’s own way on a hill, and the carburateur (sp) failed constantly. Start up on a snowy day? Call AAA. It was a blessing when a few kids tipped it onto its roof in the street in front of my house. Fortunately my auto insurance gave me a good settlement, and I bought a real car.
That is the same car as the Austin 1100 which was my first drive in England. I loved it dearly, but that love was unrequited. Went through two engines and a gearbox in 18 months. Replaced it with Vauxhall Viva (GM) with an enormous 1300cc. Didn’t love it but at least it ran.
Inherited a Dodge Hasbeen (Aspen) with a slant 6 that when through ceramic resistors regularly so you would have to two foot drive (gas/brake pedal)to keep it running. It rotted so bad my Dad riveted aluminum flashing along the bottom to hide the holes….poor engineering/manufacturing at its best.
i had a slant 6 Dodge too, also had the body hopelessly rusted out while the engine was still going strong, disappointing
I had a ’73 Vega for about a year. I bought it with 1700 miles on it and it was fine for about 5000 miles. After that if I drove 25 miles, I had to remove the plugs and dry the oil off them. What a piece of garbage.
The AMC Pacer would suddenly shut off while driving at various times without any warning. Sometimes it would run ok for a week or more. I tried several gas stations to have it fixed, but no luck. Very dangerous indeed.
Loved my Coviar—my underage brother would “borrow” it after my mom and I were asleep. After he got his license he ran head on into oncoming traffic (light floating front end) we are repairing our 23 year old, 230,000 miles on her “Alice” Toyota Sedan even though she’s got some rust. Most reliable car ever! At two weeks old she hit a deer—at 23 a deer ploughed into her side taking out door, fender, light and bumper—while I was on the way to get her inspected for her license—maybe full circle, but it’s hard to let our cross country champion (8 trips NY to CA or WA in the last few years) go. Great car!
General note. Found a great book a few years ago. Crap Cars by Richard Porter. A few of the cars mentioned here are in this book. It reviews 50 of the crapiest cars. Enjoy!!
Morris Minor side valve 1950.Medium hill, passengers had to get out and walk. Steep hill, they had to get out and walk and driver had to back the car to the top.
MG TC 1948, if parked on a horizontal slope, one door would swing open, the other could not be opened; gaps between the floorboards insured a constant deluge in wet weather, steering had to be greased every 500 miles
Oh, I had three Morris Minors while living in New Zealand. Went through gear boxes and master cylinders but then again the cats were 30 plus years old. So cute that I put up with them until I needed to be a bit more confident about passing inspections because the wiring was always an issue. My last one was a 1948 side valve and was just a toy for weekends. Braking required such a long area that driving in traffic was impossible. People kept pulling in front of me and I would have to drop back even more. Of course when people saw me coming they would pull out in front to avoid being behind me!
The Chevy Citation. Square shape not pretty with a traverse engine that seemed prone to breakdown. It came out in a two tone beige and tan paint version. Who thoaught that was attractive?
Paid $5000 new in79 for my blue two door hatchback. Car went 1660000 miles. I know the history of the car but, ran great for me.
The Corvair would be my nominee. The engine was air cooled, but very poorly. Because of that the gaskets cracked and the car always leaked carbon monoxide. Had to replace gaskets every 5000 mi. or so and drive with windows open or face asphyxiation.
My first car was a 1967 Plymouth Valiant. Highly rated by Consumer Reports but “trouble starting and running.” They were not kidding! [What good is a car that has trouble starting and running??] The car would die in the middle of an intersection when it was important to get to the other side before a truck hit me broadside. Sometimes it would just die when it was stopped at a stop sign. I had to keep one foot on the brake and one on the accelerator.
Surely, the Audi 100LS not only should have been in the list, it should have been in the slot that you put the Edsel.
You omitted some truly bad cars such as the Trabant
The Datsun 260Z – Awful carborator trouble – rebuilt several times to no avail. Never started. Fuel filter filled way too often and car didn’t go. What a pain in the a _ _!
No problem with the engine. Just rust every where. Undercarriage, exaust system, body, suspension system, steering, electrical. Rust so bad the car could not be driven. Not a car for New England.
A friend of mine had a late 60s Rambler. The entire bottom of the car was rusted out. The rear upper shock absorber mounts were completely gone, and couldn’t be fixed easily. The car bounced over the slightest bump, and was unsafe to drive. It was like a clown car in a circus, bouncing, almost hopping, everywhere. When parked, a slight breeze made the car sway up and down. He sold it for scrap.
Dont know what car you are talking about.
Mercury Comet: I had a yellow one from 1975 I. True to it’s color, it was a lemon. With a friend who was good with cars, I did get it over 100k miles. When I was able to get it running, that is.
I have no idea how it handled, but for my money, the ugliest car that ever made it onto the road was the AMC Matador. Just absolutely heinous-looking – definitely a by-committee product!