Jun 30, 2008 4:43 pm US/Eastern
3 On Your Side: 2008 Car Complaint Index
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
Thinking about trading in your gas guzzler? Or maybe you need a bit more elbow room when your family hits the road? Before signing on the dotted line at the car dealership, you need to do your homework. One annual list can prove helpful when shopping for a new set of wheels.
Let's face it, some cars do better than others when it comes to reliability.
Each year, the Center for Auto Safety takes a look at which vehicles on the road are complained about the most. They come up with what they call the Car Complaint Index.
According to lemon law attorney, Craig Kimmel, "It's a ratio of complaints made to vehicles sold."
The top 10 vehicles on the list, based in order of sales and the of complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are:
Toyota FJ Cruiser
Dodge Nitro
Lexus ES
Hyundai Entourage
Toyota Camry
Jeep Commander
Mitsubishi Outlander
Jeep Wrangler
Volkswagen Rabbit
Volkswagen Passat
The complaints can involve anything bad breaks to electrical problems.
"What it tells you is what other people are experiencing with that model now," says Kimmel who adds, "I think it is quite useful, it is the same type of thing that you should consider with crash worthiness, or perhaps the gas mileage today being such a big deal."
It's important to note that just because someone has complained about a vehicle to the government, federal agencies do not verify the existence of a problem, or whether it was eventually resolved.
So you should check out as many resources as possible to determine what vehicle is best for you.
To see the full list visit the link below:
The 2008 Car Complaint Index
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