Have You Ever Been Left Dead On The Road By Your Car?

We all read the studies. You know the ones where brands are put on a pedestal for fantastic reliability and others are deemed just a mere step from the junk yard. Simply not worthy to purchase to many.

There is no doubt that modern cars have remarkably increased reliability since JD Power first started the now famous Vehicle Dependability Study rankings. To see a car at the bottom of this list now, conjures up visions of a mother with her children stranded in the worst part of town surrounded by a sea of criminals. Or possibly to some, an expensive import stranded in the Arizona desert with the nearest dealer over 500 miles away. Scary thoughts to say the least.

But did you know that in 2000 the JD Power the VDS top score was Lexus rated at an amazing 2.15 issues per vehicle car produced? Now that type of performance places it barely above average for all brands rated for 2007! Actually the worst brand on the 2007 study, Land Rover at 3.98 issues per vehicle, would still rank above the industry standard in 2000 of 4.48 issues per vehicle!

So is reliability an issue anymore? While I truly believe as cars become more complex the issues change. What used to represent a total meltdown for the car back in the 90’s may only now represent an odd idle or a hesitation today. Attention is still needed, but the severity has changed dramatically.

So what are your chances of actually becoming stranded? No one really knows I suspect. Have you ever had a total meltdown and been left on the side of the road? If so how old was the car? Please limit you response vehicle owned since 2000.



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AMGZING_fanboy - 10/29/2007 5:00:20 PM

+1 Boost

It was like 6 years ago I was driving a 1987 nissan sentra, with almost no oil, from san diego to the OC, in capistrano the engine died, i had no cell phone, and i was 17 years old, such a miserable day..........

rok_altima - 10/29/2007 6:49:00 PM

+1 Boost

Well it really wasn't the car's fault that it had no oil in it?

Shredmo - 10/29/2007 5:04:30 PM

+1 Boost

I've been stranded twice in my life. Once was in a budget rental truck, while towing everything I own along with a car across country. The other time, I ran out of gas in my Subaru. Coinciedntally, both incedents happened within a mile of each other on I-80 roghly 7 miles west of North Platte. That is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The service people there are fantastic (both times), lucky for me.

The truck got a couple flat tires att he same time, whereas the Subaru ran out of gas 1.5 miles after the gas light turned on. The gas incedent was my fault, but the guage could have been a little more user friendly :)

Porschinator - 10/29/2007 5:22:32 PM

+1 Boost

1985 Toyota Corolla. Yes an old beater and it over heated. This is years ago and a commuter. Drove like hell but it still drove after cooling down. Was due to electrical fan issues. Usually cars fail due to owners lack of maintenance.

Several friends that got stranded in their Toyotas and Hondas. Usually modified and prolly the main reason for failure. Leave them stock and usually no probs.

Rupert - 10/29/2007 5:39:14 PM

+2 Boost

A 1990-ish (can't remember) 7 series and a Vauxhall Senator both went beserk and decided that a motorway was perfect time to stop working at all. (2 separate incidents).
It's no fun being in a car doing 80 that suddenly has no power steering, power brakes, lights or power at all...and you have to get across 3 lanes of traffic to get to the hard shoulder...(my Dad was driving as I was about 6) The Vauxhall did that, the 7 just went electronically mad, and stopped.

528i - 10/29/2007 5:59:44 PM

+2 Boost

Back in 1999 my SC400 broke down on me when I was coming back from LA. The fuel pump got me stuck for almost 4 hours.

Htay7500 - 10/29/2007 6:16:04 PM

+1 Boost

only for flat tires and cargo checks. and my dad was in an accident and called his friend to pick him up. overall, we've never been stuck on a road.

Auto_expert - 10/29/2007 6:39:48 PM

+1 Boost

'89 Ford Escort. Snapped timing belt (means you're going nowhere FAST).

no1listensanyway - 10/29/2007 7:14:49 PM

+2 Boost

1992 Toyota Camry - Fuel Pump and Timing Belt went on the same day. Just as I was making a left turn on a major highway. Oh, how I hated that car!

07mcs - 10/29/2007 7:27:40 PM

+1 Boost

1987 BMW 320i, too many electrical problems, My 1992 BMW 325is was much better, but still had some issues with the on board computer and the sunroof.

kart1 - 10/29/2007 11:18:34 PM

+1 Boost

I was stranded, but it wasn't the cars fault. I had left the lights on in my 1993 Honda Civic, I got a jump and was on the road about 15 minutes later.

kart1 - 10/29/2007 11:20:15 PM

+1 Boost

but the car could have used a warning indicator letting me know that I had left my light on, I could not tell because it was day time and it had rained.

M53R - 10/30/2007 8:30:19 AM

+1 Boost

Me driving? Nope. But once I was with my dad in a Jeep Grand cheroki 1990 ( I spelt it wrong.. ) and the engine heated and so we had to stop for like an hour for it to cool and smoke was everywhere... probably the worst car Ive ever sat in.

Shredmo - 10/30/2007 10:12:45 AM

+1 Boost

Did you mis-spell the model year, or the name? They werent officially introduced to this planet until the 1992 model year. Maybe it was a prototype. Prototypes are often problematic :)

M53R - 10/30/2007 10:33:14 AM

+1 Boost

im quite sure its a 1990 grand cheroki.... *scratches head* I might be mistaken... Its one of those:

http://www.parkaveauto.biz/images/autos/10110_grand_cherokee_93.jpg

I guess your correct.... sorry! :)

Shredmo - 10/30/2007 12:22:27 PM

+1 Boost

Only reason I know, I had a 1992 Exploder. The GC came out when I got that rig. I should have been left beside the road in that, but surprisingly it was a decent truck. Most people were not that lucky.

ceric - 10/30/2007 2:47:10 PM

+1 Boost

Stranded twice by my '98 540iA.
Both due to the infamous premature cooling system failure of BMW V8. If you own any previoud-gen BMW V8 (540, 740, M5), I strongly suggest you to replace the whole God-dxmn cooling system every 60K or so. Otherwise, I will see you on roadsides.

2007Tahoe - 11/2/2007 2:19:35 AM

+1 Boost

1986 Lincoln Mark Vii- Tranny failure just outside Denver. Note: Don't ever tow another car using a 2-door luxury-ish car.

moto - 11/3/2007 2:14:31 AM

+1 Boost

Head gasket failures on Chevy small blocks have gotten us more than once, each of which required a tow home. In my opinion, it's an inexcusable flaw, but that didn't stop those old trucks from being very good vehicles overall.

Perhaps inability to repair their own vehicles is why certain people make such a big deal out of reliability?

If you want increased reliability, you order fewer luxury options.