Auto Trends

(…Continued)

6. The 1999 Dodge Durango adds another strike to our list. Electrical, transmission, and suspension problems are the most common, with most of these starting soon after the 50,000 mileage mark. The most common problem you will hear from its owners is, “It’s falling apart.” If you smell anything coming from the engine with this model… sell it or drop it off at your nearest dump… whichever is more convenient at the time!

5. As much as we’d hate to burst the Honda Accord bubble, they weren’t all good. Take the year 2003 for example. This line of vehicles has problems with the transmission, brakes, and interior. The build-up of heat in the transmission can cause premature failure and a recall was put in place in 2004, for fluid that appeared discolored and foul smelling. Honda has done a fantastic job covering up the problems on this car and their loyal customers have already forgave them.

4. Having a 2003 Ford Explorer on this list is no surprise at at… and in fact I have a premonition this will not be the only time we will see this loser. The infamous transmission problem tops the list, as it has for just about every year the Explorer has been built. Beyond this, there are plenty of paint and body problems as always to fill in the time between getting other things fixed.

3. The 2002 Chevrolet Impala has its share of electrical Gremlins. It features a theft alarm that is so good, that sometimes not even the rightful owner of the vehicle can start it. The next most common problem in a traction control that has a mind of its own, turning off and on at its own whim, whether it’s needed or not. The battery drains easily on these cars, and similar to just about every other car on the list, the transmission is known to fail early. But don’t feel bad if you own one of these… even the police fell for the slick advertising!

2. You would think that after the 1999 Dodge Intrepid failure they would have made some improvements, but it only went further downhill. The same sludge problem in the engines of the 2000 Dodge Intrepid 2.7 liter V-6, sent many of these cars to an early grave with unhappy customers. Consider yourself lucky if a little engine knocking is the only thing disintegrating your engines integrity.

1. As promised, the 2002 Ford Explorer shows up here once again… and guess what? Yup, more transmission and body problems. Early transmission failure and a body that begins to fall apart the minute you drive off the lot, is the biggest complaint. The only way to protect yourself from these lemons is to just not buy one. Most any mechanic will tell you that you would be lucky to reach 100,000 miles on the odometer without a an engine and/or transmission re-build. I guess that is why is has been nicknamed the Ford “Exploder”.

It’s a new year. A year of hopefully bigger and better things to come. But as we all know, the bigger and better had to come from somewhere… and that is the worst and unworthy. CarComplaints.com has taken note of what customers have been saying over the years and have come up with the top 10 worst cars of the millennium. Without further adieu, here are the biggest losers according to a bucket full of complaining customers.

10. The winner of this loser list is the 1999 Dodge Intrepid. The number one issue with these seems to be the engine. The 2.7 liter V-6 to be exact was not a highlight in the Dodge history and there are a lot of unhappy Intrepid owners to prove it. This engine is very prone to a sludge build-up in the engine that eventually gums up the works and leaves the owner stranded with a giant bill… thanks Dodge!

9. The nest loser we are about to introduce, is actually a decent car today, but if you purchased one in 2000, you may want to be trading it in soon. The 2000 Ford Focus has had problems with noise, cheap interior parts, and a horrible climate control system. Eight faulty recalls round out this list for the 2000 Focus, with a throttle cable that could potentially become stuck open as the most unfortunate occurrence.

8. The Honda Civic is a very popular car today, but in 2001, transmission problems were a definite downfall. Loud noises and jerking motions are a dream come true for this years failures, while an all out breakdown is the more common problem that most people have had. They recommend to change your transmission regularly to help avoid these problems, but you are still living on a wing and a prayer with these.

7. The 2000 Chevrolet Malibu engine, electric, climate control, cooling, and brakes. Isn’t the most important function of any vehicle to both “go” and “start”. This leaves the Malibu with not even one out of the two necessities, which lands it straight to the middle of this list. Electrical problems in the theft and turn signals are quite popular, but the worst complaint is the car just shutting off in the middle of driving somewhere.

(to be Continued…)

Hyundai has taken a very progressive step towards pulling further away from from being an eco-class manufacturer and taking on the luxury car market head on. Can you say a reminder of what Acura was able to do back in the late eighties and early nineties?

The debut of the Hyundai Genesis for 2009 has created quite a buzz in the market and for good reason. Keeping with its usual affordable status, the new Genesis is looking to be sold for around $30,000 base price. The best part is, most of its competition will weigh in closer to $60,000, giving it a real chance to make a hit debut and create a whole new image for itself.

Anyone who has been around since the eighties can undoubtedly remember the Hyundai’s of the old, such as the Hyundai Pony, with its 70 horsepower of box proportioned non-luxury.

I can actually remember renting one of these to go over a mountain pass in Colorado and had the thing floored the whole way and maybe saw 40 mph…

Well, the jokes of the little Hyundai that wished it could stop here. The 1.2 liter lawnmower engine of yesterday has grown into a 4.6 liter V-8 with an estimated 368 horsepower and a 0-60 time of about 6 seconds.

The Hyundai Genesis will also have a little brother V-6, with plenty of performance. The 3.3 liter version is believed to hold about 268 horsepower and 233 lbs torque, while the big 3.8 V-6 will have 290 horsepower and 264 torque.

But the Hyundai is a whole lot more than grunt and performance. In fact, the word is that with its stiff body chassis and 53/47 front to rear weight distribution, the 2009 Hyundai Genesis is looking to be a series competitor to the BMW 5-series. You just might find yourself going on a whole lot more canyon carving road trips with your new Hyundai Genesis.

With all the above mentioned amenities, it would be plenty to call this $30,000 luxury car a grand deal. But Hyundai did not stop there. With the addition of electronic stability control (intervenes at the limits of traction), adaptive headlights (automatically swivel in the direction of the road ahead), adaptive cruise control (adjusts throttle to traffic conditions), and adaptive head restraints (reduce the gap between the head and pad in the event of a rear-end collision).

On the interior side you will be able to enjoy a 500 watt stereo, heated and cooled seating, push button starter, roof mounted airbags, and eight bumper sensors that act as an active radar when parking in those tight spots.