Forbes Says Ford F250, Chevy Colorado Worst Trucks
Jason Lancaster | Apr 12, 2010 | Comments 32
Compiling data from Consumer Reports and JD Power, Forbes has announced their Worst Made Cars list for 2010. Shockingly, Ford’s F250 and the Chevy/GMC Colorado-Canyon made the list:
- Cadillac Escalade
- Chevrolet Aveo
- Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon
- Dodge Nitro
- Ford F-250
- Jeep Wrangler
While the Forbes article certainly makes some good points, it seems a little flawed (and perhaps a little harsh).
First of all, Forbes looked at ratings from Consumer Reports and JD Power. While both sources are credible, both use flawed methodology. Consumer Reports relies upon owner reported problems, meaning that their data sets aren’t always complete. JD Power ratings are based on a better set of data, but they classify ‘problems’ rather broadly – someone who returns to their dealer to ask for help programming their stereo is technically considered a ‘problem’ by JD Power.
Forbes says the F250 is one of the worst trucks on the road
In any case, here are the details on the F250:
CR Predicted Reliability Score: PoorCR Value Score: Rated among the worst in overall valueCR Safety Score: Rated among the worst in overall safetyCR Overall Score: 37 out of 100J.D. Power Dependability Score: 3 out of 5 Power Circles
Frankly, anyone arguing that the F250 has a poor safety rating doesn’t understand physics. In the vast majority of accidents, the person in the heavier vehicle is safest. While it’s probably true that the airbags and vehicle protection systems aren’t top-notch in the F250, it’s not really the point.
As for the F250’s poor reliability score, we think this is a result of Ford’s miserable quality with the 6.0L diesel. It’s likely that Consumer Reports (which weighs historical data heavily) wouldn’t give the F250 diesel a good reliability score for that reason alone. The low Consumer Reports value score is sort of ridiculous – Consumer Reports computes ‘value’ based on each vehicle’s five-year owner cost, road test score, and predicted reliability rating. However:
- Consumer Reports has no business road testing trucks – if they knew what they were doing, they wouldn’t have named the Ridgeline the best truck on the road.
- The five year ownership cost of a diesel truck is ridiculous compared to a ‘normal’ truck, but there’s a lot an F250 can do that a normal truck can’t touch…so the ownership costs should be higher.
- Predicted reliability has already been counted.
Finally, the Ford’s JD Power dependability score is average. We talked about the Tundra’s dependability scores a couple of weeks ago. 3 out of 5 is average – not bad.
So, in other words, the F250 gets unfairly labeled in the Forbes story…but that’s not to say that the data Consumer Reports and JD Power should come up with should be ignored. There’s no denying Ford’s quality problems with their diesel trucks, and considering they’ve just launched a brand new engine, it might be wise to wait and see before buying a new SuperDuty.
As for the Colorado/Canyon, it’s really not important that Forbes rated them so poorly. GM is canceling the models very soon.
As for the rest…it sounds like GM and Chrysler have a ways to go in terms of making safe, reliable vehicles that lead the industry in value.
Frequent commenter and featured Tundra owner Mickey dropped this link on the blog last night – thanks!
Filed Under: Auto News
most superduty owners i know love their trucks but then again, most of us love our trucks, no matter how much of a problem child they may be.
as for the colorado……. a waste of sheet metal (or is that fiberglass). I test drove one. underpowered, oversteered, terrible mpg!!!!! and you can buy a silverado for less. so, why would anyone buy it? the s-10, as terrible as it was, was still a better truck. the inline 5 cylinder stunk. gm would have done better by copying the ford inline 6, one of the most dependable motors ever made.
Ford didn’t make the powerstroke, International did. This is one of the reasons Ford is producing their own diesel so they have control of the quality. They addressed issues with the powerstroke which in turn had to be sent to International which hardly ever did anything about it.
in my opinion ford is the worst made truck on the road they brake down way to much and are to exspensive to work on.
I would just like to say that if that is your opinion then you might be one of the least informed people in the world on trucks. Ford outsells every company with trucks because they are the best. We all know these stats can be very biased and no matter what you say they always will be the largest producer/seller of pick up trucks.
And if you drive some foreign POS then I feel bad for you. It must be embarassing to have to get in that thing everyday on your drive to work.
Sincerely,
An informed consumer
I own a 2003 f250 and it has nearly 300,000 miles on it and i have done very little to the truck,my last one had over 400k on it,although the 7.3l diesel is the best motor ford has ever put in a truck,i have have also owned Toyota tacomas and Tundras ,they are good trucks but not even close to the F250s when comparing year to year!The diesels have twice the power and get twice the milage!!
In my opinion…. you don’t have a clue. You really expect “quality” to be a “cheap fix” when it breaks? Really?
I suppose you think a Volvo is a bad choice also.
Point is you pay for what you get. Do the math…. Count the F Series on the road compared to any other single make. You will see that people just aren’t that stupid and there is a reason for that. It’s called “you pay for what you get”.
Are you aware Consumer Reports just listed a Lexus as a “Do not buy”.
I seen that also, GX460. They said it was a high risk of roll over accidents. Somthing also about Toyota temporary ceasing the sales of this vehicles, have we seen this before? But let’s focus on vehicles people can buy. Of course a Toyota owner pointed out errors with other brands. Also if the 250 is bad so isn’t the 350 and 450. Same platform and drivetrain, so yes there is issues with this report.
Anonymous – Are you aware that this article was DEFENDING the F250? As for you comments that the 6.0L was International’s fault, I was working at a Ford dealership when all those problems hit, and I can tell you first hand that Ford’s engineers weren’t blaming International any more than they were blaming themselves. I’m not saying that Ford’s newest diesel is a troubled motor, but it would be prudent to wait a few months before buying one.
Matt – Try reading the article before commenting. The only bad thing we had to say about the F250 happened years ago. Forbes was far, far too harsh. As for the GX460, I’m happy to hear that Toyota stopped selling it. That’s the best move until they can either fix it or prove consumer reports wrong.
Man that chevy aveo is one sweet ride, big mistake for sure on that one??????
The canyon/colorado is a piece of junk. I had the chance to drive one for the day and it sucked both in fuel economy, ride, road/engine noise, and power. I use to have a 2wd 4.3L V6 S-10 extended cab and that was a rocket ship with good ride quality compared to the current crap GM has in their compact trucks.
F250 I agree was unjustly signalled out for no good reason although I have heard the diesel is sub-par at best. chevies duramax diesel sure kicks butt, but at over 6 grand to get the engine, it should be.
mk – LOL – I was gonna buy an Aveo, but I was worried the neighbor kids would throw it on my roof as a prank. As for the Colorado, it’s not great, but I drove one recently and it was good enough for what I needed. I think that these ‘worst’ car lists are almost always overblown…there really is no such thing as a ‘bad’ car on today’s market.
Me too on the Aveo for cheap transportation under the cash for clunkers but was not able to take advantage of it due to a loophole and no call back from NHTSA/govt. I beg to differ on the Colorado, a 5 cylinder that runs like a 4 cylinder and has no power and rides all much worse than the former chevy s-10 4.3L V6 which for GM, I think was a very good engine with power to spare and very quiet ride and O.K. gas mileage.
mk – I must confess I didn’t drive the 5 – I drove a little 4cyl reg.cab 2wd from Denver to NYC. Power was adequate (it was a slow stick shift, but I didn’t care) and it drove great with a few hundred pounds of stuff in the back. The best part – I got 22 mpg for a big part of the trip. Overall I was very impressed. Having said that, I don’t think I would even consider buying one brand new. This truck was just a cheap way to move.
Is that good MPG? Sounds bad comparing you can do that with a v-8.
Anonymous – You’ve never met me, but trust me when I say that I’ve never had a V8 that got better than 20mpg…even an 03′ Mach 1 Mustang. I have my foot in everything.
[…] Toyota Tundra or Ford F-150/F-250 Just be careful with the F250.: Forbes Says Ford F250, Chevy Colorado Worst Trucks | Tundra Headquarters Visit their […]
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/0.....d-imports/
Justin – It’s a good day to be GM, Ford, or Dodge. After decades of being lower, they’re on top. Good for them.
Jason: It is nice to see the domestics are changing. Just hope they’ve learned their lesson and are in it for the long haul, not just some short term glory.
Justin – I hear you. If I were running the show at Ford, my biggest quality concern starts with a “U” and ends with an “AW.” Peter De Lorenzo does a nice job of breaking it down here: http://www.autoextremist.com/c.....emist.html
I love my toyota
For me the Ford 250 is like a legend and peoples don’t buy it for its handiness but for its style and its history!
I have owned many chevys and the colorado is junk GM is gone mental they dump a working platform for a plastic windtunnel no power truck and they have more problems than they are worth they should have kept the 4.3 s.10 just improved on a great platform oh ALL CHEVY TRUCKS HAVE THE WORST CABIN NOISE I have ever had to deal with i just bought a 2011 ford ranger 4.0 sport 4×4 rides great quiet at any speed and i’m 6 foot 240 and have plenty of leg room and love they have just improved a great truck not made some new junk
jake – The Ranger is a good pickup man – congrats!
You guys will probably laugh but I’ve owned a chevy colorado (2004 zq8 5cyl) and its been a great truck. i routinely get 22-24 miles per gallon highway (85-90% of my miles are highway) and the only thing I’ve had wrong with it was a parking brake cable I had to replace.
I’ve 85000 miles on it and it runs just as well as the day i bought it with 31k. It pulls my boat does my yard waste hauling and the occational trailer with toys if I need it. Either I got the only one that works or you guys dont know what the heck your talking about.
Erik – That’s great highway mileage, and it sounds like it’s working great for you. As I mentioned in the article, the “worst trucks” moniker is really undeserved…if you’ll re-read it, you’ll see that *we* didn’t say it. 🙂
Sounds like a Ford guy providing excuses why the F-250 sucks. (and I do understand physics….lolol..wafj)
[…] needs to look in the mirror, my friend: Forbes: Chevy Colorado… on of the WORST trucks made: http://www.tundraheadquarters.com/bl…-worst-trucks/ Time: 50 worst cars of all time: Chevy HHR: http://www.time.com/time/specials/20…658543,00.html […]
i want to buy an f250 i dont want to pull anything with it maybe inthe future but i always wanted a big truck im a big guy. so should i spend my money on it i want an 09 because new they are too expensive what do u guys recommend. pls help
Anon – I don’t know man, if you’re not planning on pulling or hauling, an F250 is a pretty big luxury. What about a 150 or a Tundra or even an SUV with a big cabin, like a Tahoe? None of those are good commuter vehicles, but they’re all big.
Honestly, if I were in your shoes, I’d go sit in a Scion xD. Those vehicles have a surprising amount of room inside, and they get 30mpg (or something like that).
Canyon—not important–? guess what, they are coming out with a new version in 2013. I believe that whenever an “automotive authority” states that a particular vehicle is “poor etc…” it should state the very reasons why, and not leave people guessing. This just shows that all the writer is interested in is getting a name for themselves, and nothing more. It doesn’t matter if your a Ford fan or a Chevy fan, the point is the same.
I own a F250 I agree the F250 was unjustly signalled out for no good reason although I think the diesel is sub-par at best.
chevies duramax diesel sure needs to try to kick butt, Chevy borrowed tax payers money, but at over 6 grand to get the engine, it should try to be better