Car Makers - Worst Manufacturers of MY 2004

Car Makers with the Least Reliable and Durable Cars of Model Year 2004

This page lists the 9 worst car makers of model year 2004 by reliability-and-durability grade point average (Reliability-Durability GPA, or more concisely R-D GPA).

2004's Bottom 9 Car Makers: The Seven Worst

The 9 worst car manufacturers of 2005 are listed below in ascending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (worst first), together with their corresponding R-D GPA and Grade.

  • Saab (then part of General Motors), with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 0.83 and a Reliability-Durability Grade of D
  • Vollkswagen AG, with a R-D GPA of 0.88 and a R-D Grade of D
  • Kia Motors Corporation, with a R-D GPA of 1.15 and a R-D Grade of D
  • Porsche AG, with a R-D GPA of 1.37 and a R-D Grade of D
  • Chrysler Group, with a R-D GPA of 1.49 and a R-D Grade of D
  • Jaguar (then part of Ford Motor), with a R-D GPA of 1.58 and a R-D Grade of C
  • Mercedes-Benz, with a R-D GPA of 1.69 and a R-D Grade of C
  • General Motors Corporation, with a R-D GPA of 1.79 and a R-D Grade of C
  • Ford Motor Company, with a R-D GPA of 1.98 and a R-D Grade of C
General Motors, Chrysler, and Jaguar were among the worst of 1985 and 1986 as well. And although GM, Chrysler, and Jaguar remained mired among the worst, Hyundai soared from the very worst of 1986 to sixth best of 2004 and 2005.
 
The Reliability-Durability GPA of General Motors does not include the Toyota-engineered Vibe, and the Reliability-Durability GPA of the Chrysler Group does not include the Mercedes-engineered-and-manufactured Crossfire.
 
Chart of the 9 Worst Car Makers of 2004

The following bar graph depicts how much below average the Bottom 9 car manufacturers of 2004 are. The 9 worst are listed in ascending order (worst first).

This is a bar graph of the Reliability-Durability GPAs of the 9 worst car manufacturers of model year 2004. The Reliability-Durability GPA of a car model is a composite measure based on the category and overall reliability ratings of Consumer Reports for age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years. Car Maker R-D GPA is an average of its model R-D GPAs. Chart by James Benjamin Bleeker, 20 February 2012.
 
Note that Ford Motor Company is only modestly below average.

Country Headquarters of the 9 Worst Car Makers of 2004

The following pie chart gives each nation's percent share of the 9 car companies with the least reliable and durable vehicles of 2004.
 
This is a pie chart of each country's share of the 9 worst car manufacturers of model year 2004 by Reliability-Durability Grade Point Average (GPA). The Reliability-Durability GPA of a car model is a composite measure based on the category and overall reliability ratings of Consumer Reports for age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years. Car Maker R-D GPA is an average of model R-D GPAs. Chart by James Benjamin Bleeker.
 
Computations

To compute the reliability-durability grade point average of the MY 2004 cars, Consumer Reports' reliability ratings for the age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years are used.

CR's ratings are converted to numerical values following the standard academic pattern: a grade point of 4.0 (an A) is accorded a rating of Much Better Than Average, a 3.0 (a B) is accorded a rating of Better Than Average, a 2.0 (a C) is accorded a rating of Average, a 1.0 (a D) is accorded a rating of Below Average, and a 0 (an F) is accorded a rating of Much Below Average.

Then, for each age range, the grade point of CR's overall reliability rating is weighted 2/3 and the average of the grade points of the category ratings is weighted 1/3.

Then, the average for the two age ranges is taken.

Finally, a car maker's Reliability-Durability GPA is computed by taking the average of the Reliability-Durability GPAs of its models.

Best and Worst Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year

The Best Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

The Worst Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

Additional Resources

The Best Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1975  1976  1977  1978  1979  1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  ...  2004  2005

The Worst Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  ...  2004  2005 

The Best Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

The Worst Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005 

Best Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 

Worst Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

Best Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid: 1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

Worst Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

For additional car quality information, visit www.AutoOnInfo.net and CarsOnInfo.net.

In particular, for additional durability information, see:

http://www.AutoOnInfo.net/SharesOfHighMileageVehicles.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/ToyotaAgeEquivalents.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/ToyotaMileageEquivalents.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/Top25OfAutoonInfosHighMileageRoster.aspx

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