I'm a Mechanic: Avoid These 5 Least Reliable Car Models
Is your luxury car really a lemon? Auto mechanic Alan Gelfand of the German Car Depot has worked on thousands of cars over the years and sees plenty of common themes.
“The least reliable cars have similar problems: too much complexity, bad transmissions, too many expensive electronic parts and repairs too expensive for the value of the car,” he said.
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So which cars rank among the least reliable that he sees all too often in the shop?
1. Land Rover Range Rover
“Range Rovers are very unreliable, from the drivetrain to electronics to the earlier models’ air suspension,” said Gelfand.
Sure enough, J.D. Power ranked Land Rover third to last in its 2026 reliability rankings. Compounding the problem, repairs for this luxury SUV cost an arm and a leg.
Skip the Range Rover and look to more reliable luxury SUVs.
2. Nissan Pathfinder
While Nissan in general scores above average in reliability rankings like J.D. Power’s, the Pathfinder remains prone to problems.
“Pathfinders have had issues with their transmission and drivetrain in recent years,” said Gelfand. “These problems can prove expensive to fix. Look at the service records of any used Pathfinder and avoid ones where the previous owner did not take scrupulous care of it.”
3. Volkswagen Atlas
Volkswagen has popped up in the news for all the wrong reasons recently. It doesn’t help that many models keep suffering from dependability problems.
Consumer Reports ranks VW a dismal 16th in their latest reliability study. It gets even worse according to J.D. Power, who ranks them dead last.
“The Atlas suffers from frequent cooling system issues, on top of other electrical malfunctions," Gelfand said. "The brakes also wear through too often.”
4. BMW 7 Series
Indeed, German engineering isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. While many BMW models earn their reliability stripes, the 7 Series falls short.
“Even when brand new and under warranty, the 7 Series is just not a reliable car to own," said Gelfand. "Beyond all the complex electronics, the suspension system is among the most complicated to repair on the road. Lastly there are many expensive features included as standard that cost a fortune to repair when they break.”
5. Jeep Grand Cherokee
Jeep continues to disappoint on dependability ratings.
Consumer Reports ranks them 24th (third to last). J.D. Power ranks them fourth to last, with 267 problems per 100 vehicles.
“Watch out for problems with the electrical systems, air suspension, transmission and the drivetrain,” said Gelfand. “Once these issues start to occur, they can create many problems that can be very costly to repair.”
People love the rugged image of Jeeps, but it just isn’t worth the relentless maintenance costs.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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