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Portland Car Attorneys Spotlight 10 Worst Vehicles for 2011

You’ve seen all the commercials telling you how great this SUV is, or how driving that sporty little hatchback will change your life, but a Portland car attorney is looking at things from a different angle.

While every Detroit manufacturer wants you to think they produce the best vehicle, please see below a compilation of the 10 worst vehicles on the roads today, based on consumer reports and industry experts. The standards for making the list are based on things like fuel economy, safety records and reliability reports from Consumer Reports.

The list is presented in alphabetical order, so as not to infer any bias for or against a particular vehicle. It’s interesting to note the number of SUV’s and small trucks that made the list. One Portland car attorney urged people to pay particular attention to those vehicles on the list with the worst safety records. So, the list of the 10 Worst Vehicles on the Road starts with:

  • The Cadillac Escalade.  At $62,000 and averaging just 14 mpg in the city, the Escalade was put on the list because of poor fuel economy and it also scored poorly in terms of reliability. This might explain why sales of the Escalade were down 4.6% for 2011.
  • Chevrolet Aveo. Though it gets 27 mpg in the city and 35 on the highway, the Aveo made the list for poor reliability, poor acceleration and generally poor performance. The Aveo is due to be replaced by the Sonic, which GM unsurprisingly says is a much better vehicle.
  • Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. This is one SUV that a Portland car attorney thought was worth noting, because the $38,000 vehicle made the list in part because of very poor braking performance. The large vehicle also does not get the kind of fuel economy you would expect from a hybrid, at an average of about 21 mpg.
  •  Dodge Dakota. Already assigned to the vehicle graveyard, Chrysler stopped production of this small truck in August. Problems included below-average reliability and a V6 engine that lacked punch. Only 449 Dakotas were sold nationwide in November, 2011.
  • Dodge Nitro. Though Chrysler said it was extending production of the Nitro to meet a burst in customer demand, Consumer Reports gave the SUV a mere 33 out of a possible 100 for reliability. Also, with just 16 mpg in town and 22 on the open road, Nitro fairs poorly against competitive models.
  • Ford Ranger. Another SUV that is about to be replaced, the Ranger has an ancient platform and has received very poor consumer reviews. In addition, the Ranger has performance issues and a worrying low level of built-in safety features.
  • Jeep Wrangler. Perhaps the most successful vehicle on this list in terms of sales, the Wrangler still has fuel economy issues at an average of 17 mpg. What’s more, the V6 engine lacked pulling power, and Jeep didn’t put enough thought into safety features when they designed the Wrangler.
  • Nissan Titan. This is another of the small trucks that get woeful fuel economy at a combined average of about 15 mpg. Other flaws in the report were a noisy V8 engine and subpar performance.
  • Smart for Two. This is one of those love-it-or-hate-it vehicles that generate great debate. The Smart certainly makes a statement. It made this list because it’s an annoyingly noisy car; its transmission is not what it should be, and given it is such a small car, the mileage should be much higher than the combined 36 mpg on offer.
  • Toyota FJ Cruiser. This is another vehicle that divides opinion dramatically. The Kelly Blue Book gave the FJ Cruiser the highest resale value of any vehicle in its class, and it is admittedly a terrific vehicle for those who want to go off-road. However, it made this list because it got a performance rating of just 36 out of 100 from Consumer Reports, the lowest of any Toyota on the market. In addition, fuel economy is poor, handling is below average and visibility is restricted, creating a safety issue.

In Oregon, cars are an everyday part of life. The vast majority of people still get to work in a car, truck or SUV, and they expect to get to where they’re going safely. Sadly, accidents occur every day, and many of them lead to serious injuries or worse. Sometimes, the vehicle itself is to blame, when brakes fail, airbags fail to deploy or deploy when they shouldn’t, or when a vehicle rolls over after a driver makes a sudden turn.

If you or a member of your family has been injured because of an unsafe vehicle, don’t hesitate. Make a call to an experienced and reliable Portland car attorney. Don’t try to take on a car manufacturer or an insurance company alone. A good personal injury attorney will get your case sorted sooner, and they will almost always be able to get you a higher settlement than if you acted on your own.