We referenced their expert scores and reviews to find important information you’ll need to know when looking for your next car. Scores, road test information and vehicle pricing are attributed to Consumer Reports.

From Teslas to minivans, here are 10 unreliable cars that you can throw in the scrap heap in 2023.

10. Subaru Ascent

• Reliability score: 18
• Overall score: 60

The Subaru Ascent is a three-row SUV with a functional interior, smooth ride and slick power delivery at a price range of $32,295 to $45,445.

While the car has some pretty good road test scores, it runs into trouble with its predicted reliability and predicted owner satisfaction scores — one out of five and three out of five, respectively.

It scored the worst in reliability for paint and trim, body integrity, power equipment and in-car electronics.

Some of the Ascent’s downsides are that it has a four-cylinder engine in the place of the industry-dominant V6 and has a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). This can cause it to be slow and noisy while on the highway at higher speeds.

The CVT might also give the car a slower acceleration, which may not be worth the fuel you’ll save with the smaller engine.

The Ascent’s third row is also smaller than some of its other competitors, making its second-row captain’s chairs the more desirable ride if you're not riding shotgun.

9. Tesla Model Y

• Reliability score: 18
• Overall score: 59

The Tesla Model Y is a flashy car that’s reported to perform well, but is ultimately not to be trusted.

While both its road test score and predicted owner satisfaction are high enough, its predicted reliability only scores one out of five.

Some of the car's weak points are its body integrity and hardware, along with its power equipment and climate management system.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued five active recalls affecting the Model Y. In one recall, they warn that in affected vehicles, the Boombox function allows sound to be played through an external speaker, which can overpower the alerts of its Pedestrian Warning System. This can be fixed with an over-the-air software update.

Compared to the vehicle’s competitors, like the Buick Envision or Cadillac XT5 — which hold reliability scores of 90 and 89 respectively — the Tesla Model Y might not be worth the price tag.

8. Chrysler Pacifica

• Reliability score: 18
• Overall score: 57

The Pacifica is one of the quickest minivans on the market, able to tackle corners with ease and housing a well-tuned suspension. It lies within the price range of $37,095 to $56,840.

With fairly solid road test results, what pulls the car’s number down is its predicted reliability score, which is one out of five.

The Pacifica has some major trouble spots — its engine, transmission, driving and electrical systems have all scored worse than in previous years.

The interior of the car falls short of being really plush, with hard panelling everywhere except the top of the front door panels. The dashboard trim also lacks the padding that is seen in even significantly cheaper vehicles.

Consumer Reports found that the standard Uconnect system isn’t satisfying compared to other, larger infotainment systems. The screen is also highly reflective and leaves very visible fingerprints and smudges.

This van's reliability rating is much lower than its competitors, with the Toyota Sienna coming in at 60 and the Kia Carnival at 45.

7. Volkswagen Tiguan

• Reliability score: 17
• Overall score: 55

An easygoing and user-friendly SUV, the Volkswagen Tiguan holds a 184-horsepower, 2.0 liter turbo four-cylinder engine. It comes at a price range of $26,295 to $36,970.

Both the car’s predicted reliability and predicted owner satisfaction performed poorly, with a score of one out of five and two out of five, respectively.

Some of the car’s weak points are its body integrity, suspension and engine minor. It was also found lacking when it came to acceleration and emergency handling.

There’s currently one recall on the Volkswagen Tiguan from the NHTSA affecting the brakes on certain vehicles. They report that some vehicles have a loose brake pipe nut that may allow for some brake fluid to leak, which would extend the distance you’ll need to stop and increase your risk of a crash.

With such low reliability and a middling overall score, Consumer Reports shows that the Tiguan doesn’t stack up against competitors like the Subaru Forester or Hyundai Tucson.

6. Volvo XC90

• Reliability score: 17
• Overall score: 56

With a luxury interior, great visibility, excellent seats and strong high-beam headlights, the Volvo XC90 has a lot going for it for the $50,900 to $72,600 price range.

Where it falls short is in predicted reliability and predicted owner satisfaction, scoring one out of five and three out of five, respectively.

The car’s least reliable aspects are also some of its most important components — its brakes, body integrity, fuel system and engine.

It’s reported to have an overly stiff ride, its four-cylinder engine only hits a disappointing 20 mpg and the engine lacks the refinement of some of its competitors’ six-cylinder mills.

The Volvo XC90 also comes with a complicated infotainment system that takes some getting used to. On top of that, it’s hard to read due to the small font and washed-out screen — which could be dangerous on the road.

While it scores higher than a few other comparable cars, several Lexus models, like the GX, RX and RX L, score way higher than the Volvo XC90 when it comes to reliability.

5. Chevrolet Corvette

• Reliability score: 13
• Overall score 57

The Chevrolet Corvette can provide a great driving experience. With excellent acceleration, handling, braking and transmission, it seems like it has earned its higher price point ranging from $60,900 to $79,850.

At first glance, the Corvette looks like a done deal. But, with a reliability score of one out of five, there’s still much to improve upon.

The major areas in which the car suffers are its transmission, the drive system and the paint and trim. It makes a fair bit of noise that can be heard inside the car, and there are also problems with its rear and side visibility.

The ‘vette notably has terrible ratings for fuel economy and emissions, scoring a two out of five on fuel economy and a three out of 10 for both greenhouse gas emissions and smog rating.

Compared to the reliability scores of competitors like the Toyota Supra or the Porsche 718 Boxster, the Chevrolet Corvette is perhaps best left on the lot.

4. Chevrolet Silverado

• Reliability score: 11
• Overall score: 46

The Chevrolet Silverado has had quite the upgrade from its past models. With an increased payload and towing capacity, along with its improved powertrain and better fuel economy, the $30,400 to $66,300 price range doesn’t seem all that bad.

But the truck's scores aren’t anything to write home about. It earned an average 78 out of 100 on the road test, owner satisfaction got a three out of five and its predicted reliability tanked at one out of five.

The Silverado’s reliability has scored low consistently since 2017, so this year is nothing new. Some of the aspects that have caused particular trouble are the engine and the electric system. Comsumer Reports says it also has too high a step-in height and doesn’t have great stopping distance.

If you’re going to get a Silverado, consider the 2500HD model instead, as its reliability ranks much higher than the regular Silverado. If you’re not into Chevrolet, the GMC Sierra 25000HD also has a high reliability score.

3. Ford Mustang

• Reliability score: 9
• Overall score: 47

Keeping its iconic design, the classic V8 sound and decent visibility for a sports coupe, the Ford Mustang performs well for its price point. The trouble comes in its predicted reliability, which scored a bottom-tier one out of five.

The four-cylinder turbo engine is reported to sound too raspy and the performance package’s summer tires need heat for their grip.

The comfort of the ride doesn’t score well either, with low ride and noise scores of three out of five.

The car’s base audio system comes with a tiny 4.2-inch screen that makes features like turn-by-turn directions and a backup camera difficult to read. Its menu functions are also reported to be unintuitive.

There is currently a recall on the Ford Mustang from the NHTSA warning that the air bag may deploy improperly. The front passenger’s knee airbag was insufficiently welded on some cars, and may put the passenger at an increased risk of injury during a crash if they happen to be riding in one of the affected cars.

2. Ford Explorer

• Reliability score: 8
• Overall score: 47

The Ford Explorer is reported to have great agility, controls and a plenty of interior room. But is it worth its price range of $33,745 to $55,995?

The road test had the car scoring a little above average at 78 out of 100. Its predicted owner satisfaction and reliability, however, scored a three out of five and one out of five, respectively.

Some of the car’s key reliability indicators that performed poorly were the power equipment and body integrity.

Despite its decent score, the Explorer had some notable lows during its road test — poor ride performance and low-speed transmission shifts stood out the most. It also has a relatively low score for fuel economy, poor emergency handling and doesn’t handle road irregularities well.

If you’re looking for a comparable car that will provide you with better reliability, the Toyota Highlander, Mazda CX-9 and the Kia Telluride all have above average reliability scores.

1. Mercedes-Benz GLE

• Reliability score: 5
• Overall score: 45

Even with good acceleration and a sleek finish, the Mercedes-Benz GLE is listed as the least reliable car by Consumer Reports.

While the GLE has some redeeming qualities, when it comes to reliability it has too many weak spots to ignore, including its body integrity and hardware, in-car electronics and climate system.

It also scores pretty low when it comes to routine and emergency handling — three out of five — and has terrible fuel economy and emissions. Consumer Reports says the car feels heavy coming around corners because of the steering’s slow response and noticeable body roll.

The car isn’t all that comfortable either, with awkward driving positions, small side mirrors and difficulty getting in and out of the vehicle. There’s also a very steep learning curve to master the infotainment system — its temperature controls were even described as “chaotic.”

All these drawbacks place the Mercedes-Benz GLE at the bottom of the barrel. Take a look instead at the more highly rated competitors from Lexus, including the GX, RX and RX L models.

11 cars that have recently lost Consumer Reports’ recommendation

Sometimes a car is flawless at first, but quickly degrades within a few months, causing them to lose their initial recommendations.

To determine which cars are no longer up to snuff, Consumer Reports asked their members about problems that they’d had with their vehicles in the past 12 months. They focused on 17 specific areas and requested detailed feedback to help them determine if the same issue was likely to occur across the product line.

When they identified models that fell below or well below the average reliability, Consumer Reports removed them from their recommended list.

So, if you’re in the market for a 2022 model, watch out for these 11 vehicles that lost their stamp of approval.

11. Chevrolet Bolt

• Reliability score: 34
• Overall score: 62

The Chevrolet Bolt had some big upgrades this year compared to the initial model that launched in 2017. The regular Bolt received a more stylish, updated interior, and the all-new EUV model was introduced.

When surveyed, those who owned the Bolt reported suffering a number of problems that stemmed from the car’s driving system and in-car electronics. They also reported issues with motor-related electronic components like the battery.

One owner reported having a “motor control modulator failure” in the electric drive system, which had to be replaced. There were also reports of infotainment display screens freezing or going blank, which made it impossible for them to control any radio functions or use their rear camera.

Chevrolet is aware of the technological issues and is working to improve them.

10. Mercedes-Benz E-Class

• Reliability score: 33
• Overall score: 68

Mercedes-Benz gave the E-Class a small refresh for its 2021 model year. This included an upgrade to its infotainment system in the form of MBUX — Mercedes-Benz User Experience.

The reliability of the car dropped below average after Consumer Reports surveyed existing owners. They reported having problems with the car’s power equipment, including its keyless entry system and the new MBUX, that required quite a bit of repair.

One user reported having issues with the car’s touchscreen being unresponsive, which was fixed with a software update.

NHTSA issued a recall in June 2021 for the car’s seat belts. The recall reports that the car’s automatic locking retractors may deactivate too early, increasing the risk of injury during a crash in the affected vehicles.

When reached for comment, a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson told Consumer Reports that their own findings on the infotainment system don’t match up with the surveyed customers.

“The MBUX multimedia system features innovative technology that is based on artificial intelligence and has learning capabilities — so the more time the customer spends with the car, MBUX uses its predictive functions to better anticipate what the user would like.”

9. Hyundai Kona Electric

• Reliability score: 33
• Overall score: 61

Hyundai released the Kona Electric in the 2019 model year. At the time, it was one of the more affordable electric vehicles and had a driving range of over 250 miles on a single charge.

The reliability rating has since dropped because consumers reported motor issues with the electric drive system. The car’s battery packs also needed frequent replacement and there were problems with the regenerative braking system.

Initial evaluation from Consumer Reports also showed the Kona Electric’s in-car electronics were below average and it struggled to handle road irregularities.

Drivers said they had additional issues with the gear selector in the road test and were unimpressed with the longer-than-average charge time.

When reached for comment, a Hyundai spokesperson told Consumer Reports that they were aware of the problems stemming from the battery and brakes, and had issued recalls to resolve the faulty systems.

8. Nissan Rogue

• Reliability score: 30
• Overall score: 63

Nissan redesigned the Rogue for its 2021 model year, which resulted in brand-new problems for its first-year owners.

In the survey, owners reported a variety of problems across several systems, including the emissions and fuel system, often involving the fuel pump.

There were also issues with the in-car electronics, with most complaints rooted in the center-mounted infotainment screen going blank or freezing.

Initial reporting found that driving the Rogue was nothing to write home about, either. It surged when off the line, which can feel too abrupt, ‌and had low dash vents.

When Consumer Reports reached out for comment, a Nissan spokesperson addressed the issues.

“We’ve been able to address the limited number of issues that have come up through manufacturing countermeasures, as well as through warranty work at our dealerships. In some cases, such as with audio/IT systems, we are deploying over-the-air updates to address known issues and improve overall owner satisfaction.”

7. Volvo S60

• Reliability score: 28
• Overall score: 57

The Volvo S60 didn’t perform amazingly in Consumer Reports’ initial test, but its tipping point came from the customer survey responses.

Owners of the car reported having problems with the power equipment and brakes, citing warped rotors as a particular issue.

Consumer Reports had previously noted Volvo’s poor brand reliability in the S60’s report, along with the model having some problems with the ride and controls.

An NHTSA recall has been in effect since September 2021 regarding the car’s seat belts. It’s the same problem as in the Mercedes-Benz E-Class — early release of the automatic locking retractors can cause injury in the event of an accident in a defective vehicle.

When Consumer Reports reached out to Volvo for comment, they did not address the problems that customers were having. They commented instead that “the S60 is an excellent luxury car with leading safety and technology features owners appreciate, as reflected by its IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award (and) NHTSA Five Star safety rating.”

6. Toyota Corolla Hatchback

• Reliability score: 27
• Overall score: 51

In Consumer Reports’ road test, the Toyota Corolla Hatchback stood out for its excellent fuel economy.

The drop in its reliability score comes from issues with the continuously variable transmission (CVT). Some owners of the car reported having varying problems, like rough shifting, which resulted in rebuilding or replacement of the transmission.

A Toyota spokesperson addressed some of the Hatchback's shortcomings when reached for comment by Consumer Reports.