20 Worst Cars of Model Year 1986

The 20 Least Reliable and Durable Cars of Model Year 1986

This page lists the 20 worst cars (as well as the worst 30, worst 40, and worst 50) of model year 1986 by reliability-and-durability grade point average (R-D GPA).

1986's Bottom 10 Cars: The Ten Worst

The 10 worst cars of 1986 are listed below in ascending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (worst first), together with the corresponding R-D Grade.

  • American Motors Corporation's Renault Alliance, Encore, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 0.24 and a Reliability-Durability Grade of F
  • The Jeep Wagoneer, with a R-D GPA of 0.24, an F
  • The Ford Aerostar Van V6 2-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 0.26, an F
  • The Chevrolet Cavalier V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.29, an F
  • The Ford Taurus Inline 4, with a R-D GPA of 0.32, an F
  • The Pontiac 2000 Sunbird, with a R-D GPA of 0.33, an F
  • The Merkur XR4Ti, with a R-D GPA of 0.33, an F
  • The Pontiac Grand Am V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.34, an F
  • The Pontiac Firebird V8, with a R-D GPA of 0.35, an F
  • The Buick Skyhawk, with a R-D GPA of 0.35, an F

AMC's Renault Alliance, Encore was the worst of 1985 as well.

The short-lived Merkur XR4Ti was the brainchild of Bob Lutz, then a vice president of Ford Motor Company and later part of General Motors' management team when GM share price went to zilch and taxpayer coffers poured tens of billions into GM to preserve it from extinction.

Manufacturers of the 10 Worst 

General Motors Corporation's share of the 10 least reliable-durable cars in model year 1986 is 5, same as in 1985 and up from 2 in 1984.

Ford Motor Company's share of the 10 worst cars of 1986 is 3, up from 0 in 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, and 1980.

American Motors Corporation's share of the worst cars of 1986 is 2, down from 3 in 1985 and 4 in 1984.

Chrysler Corporation's share of the 10 worst was 0, down from 3 in 1985 and 4 in 1984.

None of the then Michigan 4 manufacturers (American Motors Corporation was absorbed by Chrysler Corporation in 1987) accounted for 1986's 10 best cars, 1985's 10 best cars, 1984's 10 best cars, 1983's 10 best cars or 1982's 10 best cars.

The following chart depicts each manufacturer's percent share of the Bottom 10 of 1986.

This is a pie chart of each auto manufacturer's share of the 10 worst cars and trucks of model year 1986 by Reliability-Durability Grade Point Average (GPA). General Motors Corporation has 50% of 1986’s 10 worst cars, Ford Motor Company has 30% of the Bottom 10, and American Motors Corporation (later absorbed by Chrysler Corporation) has 20% of the 10 worst. The Reliability-Durability GPA of a car model is a composite score based on the category and overall reliability ratings of Consumer Reports for age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years. The chart and computations are by James Benjamin Bleeker.
1986's Next 10 Worst Cars

The next 10 of the 20 worst cars are listed below in ascending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (worst first), together with the corresponding R-D Grade.

  • The Dodge Omni, Charger, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 0.37 and a Reliability-Durability Grade of F
  • The Oldsmobile Firenza Inline 4 (I4), with a R-D GPA of 0.38, an F
  • The Pontiac Firebird V6, V8, with a R-D GPA of 0.40, an F
  • The Dodge B150-250 Van V8, with a R-D GPA of 0.40, an F
  • The Plymouth Horizon, Turismo, America, with a R-D GPA of 0.40, an F
  • The Ford Escort, with a R-D GPA of 0.40, an F
  • The Hyundai Excel, with a R-D GPA of 0.41, an F
  • The Chevrolet Suburban 2-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 0.43, an F
  • The Chrysler Laser, with a R-D GPA of 0.44, an F
  • The Chevrolet Suburban 4-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 0.44, an F

Worthy of note is that unit sales of the Hyundai Excel plunged in succeeding years, while there was no similar plunge in unit sales of products by General Motors, Chrysler, Ford, or American Motors. Most likely, the expectation of many U.S. consumers was that the quality of the first generation made-in-South-Korea Excel would roughly approximate the quality of made-in-Japan vehicles, an expectation that would prove to be far from the mark, while Michigan 4 consumers knew what they were buying and were inured to similar or greater shortcomings.

Manufacturers of the 20 Worst 

General Motors Corporation accounts for 45% of the 20 worst cars of model year 1986 - same as in 1985 and up from 35% in 1984 and down from its 75% in 1983 and 1981, 80% in 1982 and 50% in 1980.

Chrysler Corporation accounts for 20% of the 20 least reliable-durable cars of 1986 - down from 30% in 1985 and 1984 and up from 10% in 1983, 1982 and 1981 and 25% in 1980.

Ford Motor Company accounts for 20% of the 20 worst of 1986 - up from 10% in 1985, 1984 and 1982 and up from 0% in 1983, 1981 and 1980.

American Motors accounts for 10% of the 20 worst of 1986 - down from 15% in 1985 and 20% in 1984.

Hyundai Motor Company accounts for 5% of the 20 worst of 1986, the first year offering the necessary data for a GPA computation. 

The Detroit 3 manufacturers (General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford) account for 17 of 1986's 20 worst cars, same as in 1985, and the Michigan 4 (General Motors, Chrysler, American Motors, and Ford) account for 19 of the 20 worst, down from 20 in 1985.

The following chart gives each car maker's percent share of the Bottom 20 of 1986.

This is a pie chart of each car manufacturer's share of the 20 worst automobiles of model year 1986 by Reliability-Durability Grade Point Average (GPA). General Motors Corporation has 45% of 1986’s 20 worst cars, Ford Motor Company has 20% of the Bottom 20, Chrysler Corporation has 20% of the 20 worst, American Motors Corporation (later absorbed by Chrysler Corporation) has 10% of the 20 worst, and Hyundai Motor Company has 5% of the 20 worst. The Reliability-Durability GPA of a car model is a composite score based on the category and overall reliability ratings of Consumer Reports for age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years. The chart and computations are by James Benjamin Bleeker.
1986's Next 10 Worst Cars

The bottom 10 of the 30 worst cars are listed below in ascending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (worst first), together with the corresponding R-D Grade.

  • The Dodge Daytona Turbo, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 0.46 and a Reliability-Durability Grade of F
  • The Pontiac Firebird V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.47, an F
  • The Dodge Daytona (non-turbo), with a R-D GPA of 0.47, an F
  • The Ford Thunderbird 4-cylinder Turbo, with a R-D GPA of 0.48, an F
  • The Buick Somerset Skylark V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.49, an F
  • The Plymouth Caravelle Turbo, with a R-D GPA of 0.51, a D
  • The Dodge 600 Turbo, with a R-D GPA of 0.51, a D
  • The Chrysler New Yorker, E-Class, 4-cylinder, Turbo, front-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 0.51, a D
  • The Peugeot 505 4-cylinder, with a R-D GPA of 0.53, a D
  • The Oldsmobile Toronado V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.56, a D

Manufacturers of the 30 Worst 

Each manufacturer's percent share, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent, of the 30 worst vehicles by R-D GPA is:

General Motors Corporation: 40%, down from 43% in 1985
Chrysler Corporation: 30%, up from 23% in 1985
Ford Motor Company: 16.7%, down from 20% in 1985
American Motors Corporation: 16.7%, up from 10% in 1985
Hyundai Motor Company: 3.3%
PSA Peugeot-Citroën: 3.3%

Chart of the 30 Worst Cars of 1986

The following bar graph depicts how much below average the Bottom 30 cars of 1986 are. The 30 worst are listed in ascending order (worst first).

This is a bar graph of the Reliability-Durability GPAs of the 30 worst automobiles of model year 1986. The bar graph lists the Bottom 30 car models with worst first. The Reliability-Durability GPA of a car model is a composite score based on the category and overall reliability ratings of Consumer Reports for vehicle age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years. The chart and computations are by James Benjamin Bleeker.
1986's Next 10 Worst Cars

The bottom 10 (12 by tie) of the 40 worst cars are listed below in ascending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (worst first), together with the corresponding R-D Grade.

  • The Ford Club Wagon V8, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 0.70 and a Reliability-Durability Grade of D
  • The Chevrolet Camaro V8, with a R-D GPA of 0.75, a D
  • The Chevrolet Sportvan V8, with a R-D GPA of 0.77, a D
  • The Ford F150-F250 Pickup Inline 6 4-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 0.77, a D
  • The Chevrolet Monte Carlo V8, with a R-D GPA of 0.78, a D
  • The Buick Somerset Skylark 4-cylinder, with a R-D GPA of 0.78, a D
  • The Ford Tempo 2-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 0.78, a D
  • The Chevrolet Pickup 10-20 V8, 4-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 0.79, a D
  • The Pontiac 6000 4-cylinder, with a R-D GPA of 0.80, a D
  • The Oldsmobile 98 V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.80, a D
  • The Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser Wagon, with a R-D GPA of 0.80, a D
  • The Chevrolet Camaro V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.80, a D

Manufacturers of the 42 Worst 

Each manufacturer's percent share, rounded to the nearest tenth of a percent, of the 42 worst vehicles of model year 1986 by R-D GPA is:

General Motors Corporation: 50%
Chrysler Corporation: 21.4%
Ford Motor Company: 19%
American Motors Corporation: 4.8%
Hyundai Motor Company: 2.4%
PSA Peugeot-Citroën: 2.4%

1986's Next 8 Worst Cars

The bottom 8 of the 50 worst cars are listed below in ascending order of Reliability-Durability GPA (worst first), together with the corresponding R-D Grade.

  • The Chevrolet Corvette, with a Reliability-Durability GPA of 0.82 and a Reliability-Durability Grade of D
  • The Mercury Topaz 2-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 0.82, a D
  • The Dodge Colt Vista Wagon 2-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 0.83, a D
  • The Oldsmobile 88 V6, with a R-D GPA of 0.83, a D
  • The Ford Bronco V8, with a R-D GPA of 0.88, a D
  • The Chrysler New Yorker, E-Class, 4-cylinder, non-Turbo, front-wheel-drive, with a R-D GPA of 0.89, a D
  • The Jaguar XJ6, with a R-D GPA of 0.93, a D
  • The Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera V6, with a R-D GPA of 1.08, a D

Manufacturers of the 50 Worst 

Each manufacturer's percent share of the 50 worst vehicles of model year 1986 by R-D GPA is:

General Motors Corporation: 48%
Chrysler Corporation: 22%
Ford Motor Company: 20%
American Motors Corporation: 4%
Hyundai Motor Company: 2%
PSA Peugeot-Citroën: 2%
Jaguar: 2%

Note that no Japanese manufacturer offered a car or truck among 1986's 50 worst of North America.

Computations

To compute the reliability-durability grade point average of the MY 1986 cars, Consumer Reports' reliability ratings for the age ranges 4-to-5 years and 5-to-6 years are used.

CR's ratings are converted to numerical values following the standard academic pattern: a grade point of 4.0 (an A) is accorded a rating of Much Better Than Average, a 3.0 (a B) is accorded a rating of Better Than Average, a 2.0 (a C) is accorded a rating of Average, a 1.0 (a D) is accorded a rating of Below Average, and a 0 (an F) is accorded a rating of Much Below Average.

Then, for each age range, the grade point of CR's overall reliability rating is weighted 2/3 and the average of the grade points of the category ratings is weighted 1/3.

Finally, the average for the two age ranges is taken.

The Renaul Alliance, Encore, Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Merkur XR4Ti, Pontiac Firebird V8, Oldsmobile Firenza Inline 4, Pontiac Firebird V6, V8, Chrysler laser, Dodge Daytona Turbo, Pontiac Firebird V6, Ford Thunderbird Inline 4 Turbo, Plymouth Caravelle Turbo, Dodge 600 Turbo, Peugeot 505 Inline 4, and Oldsmobile Toronado V6 offered only one age range of data.

Best and Worst Vehicles of Each Model Year

The Best Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1975  1976  1977  1978  1979  1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  ...  2004  2005

The Worst Cars of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  ...  2004  2005 

Additional Resources

The Best Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

The Worst Car Brands of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

The Best Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

The Worst Car Manufacturers of Each Model Year by Reliability-Durability GPA: 1985  1986 ...  2004  2005

Best Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 

Worst Car Brands by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

Best Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid: 1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

Worst Car Makers by CR's List of Used Cars to Avoid:  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989  1990  1991  1992  1993  1994  1995  1996  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006

For additional car quality information, visit www.AutoOnInfo.net and CarsOnInfo.net.

In particular, for additional durability information, see:

http://www.AutoOnInfo.net/SharesOfHighMileageVehicles.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/ToyotaAgeEquivalents.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/ToyotaMileageEquivalents.aspx 
http://CarsOnInfo.net/Top25OfAutoonInfosHighMileageRoster.aspx

www.CarQualityInfo.net: The car-quality website for the brighter-than-average North American consumer.
 
To help support independent car quality information, shop Amazon.com by clicking a link from this site.
Comments