13 Cars That Made Headlines for All the Wrong Reasons
It has been nearly one and a half centuries since Carl Benz invented what is regarded as the first automobile.
Since then, we’ve learned that not all cars are created equal, and some have stirred up a lot more controversy than others.
Whether it’s because of questionable design, a lack of safety, terrible build quality, or even too much power, the following cars are considered among the most controversial models ever.
Chevrolet Corvair

With the Corvair, Chevrolet took a page from the Germans’ book, opting for an air-cooled, rear-mounted engine. It was also a stylish car that looked nothing like its American contemporaries.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t all fun and games, as Ralph Nader heavily criticized the Corvair in his book Unsafe at Any Speed. Nader had an issue with the swing-axle rear suspension, which could collapse in sharp turns. In addition, the driver could get impaled on the steering column if the car was in an accident. Chevrolet had already fixed the suspension when Nader’s book was published, but nobody wanted to buy a car with that kind of bad publicity.
DeLorean DMC-12

The DeLorean DMC-12 is easily the best-looking and most famous car on this list, but other than a couple of movie appearances, it’s famous for all the wrong reasons.
These days, the nostalgia factor is high, and collectors are willing to pay a pretty penny for the DMC-12, but if we’re honest, it was pretty dreadful. The engine was horrible and underpowered, the gullwing doors looked cool, but their design made it nigh on impossible to exit the car in tight spaces. The DeLorean also suffered from countless reliability issues.
Ford Pinto

The Ford Pinto is one of the worst cars the world has ever known. Ford designed it to be an affordable model, which meant a lot of corner-cutting on their end. It soon became apparent that the Pinto suffered from rust problems, but its tendency to catch fire if rear-ended was far more serious.
The gas tank wasn’t sufficiently insulated and protected, so it could potentially spontaneously combust if someone rammed into it from behind. Ford was accused of knowing about the issue and still marketing the Pinto based on an internal cost-benefit analysis.
Tucker 48

The automotive scenery may have looked very different today if the Tucker 48 had been a success when it debuted in the late 1940s. There’s no denying that the 48 was a game-changer regarding innovation and safety features, but the company was soon drowned by a tidal wave of troubles.
The car itself wasn’t the problem. Tucker was bombarded with bad publicity and also faced an SEC investigation of fraudulent stock allegations. In the end, the allegations turned out to be false, and Preston Tucker believed they were orchestrated by the Big Three carmakers. By then, it was too late, and the company collapsed.
Edsel

Ford wanted to create a new automotive brand with the Edsel lineup, which was named after the founder’s son. The cars and the company flopped so hard that business schools still use them as an example of how marketing shouldn’t be done.
Edsel cars suffered from build quality issues, but that’s almost to be expected from a brand-new lineup. A much bigger problem was the brand’s business decisions and the marketing. It cost Ford billions in today’s money, and they quietly shut down the project by 1960. The few cars built are still unreliable but are now sought-after by collectors.
Chrysler Crossfire

The Chrysler Crossfire could have been an excellent sports car, but it was instantly forgotten due to the manufacturer’s weird decisions. Still, there’s no denying that the Crossfire has one of the coolest names in automotive history.
Its design aged very quickly, and the interior quality left a lot to be desired. Because it was built on an already aging Mercedes platform, it didn’t handle as well as modern sports cars should. Sales were so poor that Chrysler eventually turned to Overstock and eBay to get rid of the Crossfires they’d built.
Tesla Cybertruck

Few, if any, vehicles are as divisive as the Tesla Cybertruck. When it was first unveiled, gearheads couldn’t believe their eyes, and until the first production models were delivered, most thought the Cybertruck would end up as vaporware.
Today, the car world is split into two camps — those who love the Cybertruck and those who hate everything about it. While it’s not the most practical truck on the market, it does have some cool features.
Pontiac Aztek

While Pontiac had been struggling for years, the Aztek was one of the models that led to the carmaker’s demise — some say this model was the final nail in Pontiac’s coffin. Many gearheads consider it the worst car ever built in the States. We’re not sure about that, as there’s a lot of competition for that dubious title. However, the Aztek is undoubtedly one of the ugliest cars ever made.
While the driving experience was nothing to write home about, and the build quality was questionable, the Aztek’s design remains the biggest reason to never buy one. Ever!
H2 Hummer

In the early 2000s, the Hummer H2 starred in practically every hip-hop video from the mid-2000s. Back then, it was the ultimate symbol of wealth and success, but that didn’t last long.
The H2 Hummer wasn’t designed for military use like its older sibling, so it wasn’t any good off-road. It was also very impractical, as the cargo space was pathetically small. It drank fuel like there was no tomorrow and suffered many issues, including a faulty transmission, fuel pump, and throttle body. What started out as a luxury item soon became the symbol of excess and waste of natural resources.
Lotus Carlton

Lotus got its hands on GM Europe’s full-size sedan and completely rebuilt it. They increased the 3.0-liter engine to 3.6 liters and slapped on a couple of turbochargers for good measure. Running on high-octane fuel, the Lotus Carlton produced nearly 380 horsepower — which was ridiculous in an early-90s sedan.
The Lotus Carlton soon became the getaway drivers’ car of choice, and nothing in the police’s arsenal could keep up with it. That led to British government officials calling for its ban because it was too fast and powerful, but they never got around to doing anything about it.
Chevrolet SSR

From a design perspective, the Chevrolet SSR is kind of cool, but it flopped spectacularly. Chevrolet only managed to sell 9,000 SSRs during its three-year production run — they built 24,000 of them.
It’s a retro-styled convertible pickup truck that failed both its promises. It didn’t offer the practicality required for a truck and wasn’t sporty despite its name meaning Super Sport Roadster. Fitted with the Corvette V8, this should’ve been an unforgettable experience, but today, only the most ardent fans remember it.
Chevrolet Vega

The Chevrolet Vega received tons of praise from the motoring press when it first hit the market and sold in droves. It didn’t last long, though — literally.
It suffered from rust problems so bad that you could almost see the Vega disappear before your eyes. If that wasn’t bad enough, its aluminum block engine was so unreliable that it might as well have been made from cream cheese.
Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Diesel

The oil crisis in the 1970s did a lot of damage to the American automotive industry. Detroit’s cars were heavily compromised, so customers switched to more reliable, economical, and fuel-efficient Japanese imports.
Oldsmobile decided to help cut car owners’ fuel costs by making a diesel engine. Unfortunately, they had no idea what they were doing and converted a gasoline engine to run on diesel. If the terrible engine wasn’t bad enough, Oldsmobile then installed it in the Cutlass Supreme — another bad product. This combination was so bad that many Americans still won’t buy a diesel-powered passenger car because of the horror stories that ensued.