The Least Reliable Car Brand of 2022 Is a Luxury Automaker
While the road is full of some of the most reliable luxury cars available, you’ll find that not all of them can say that. Consumer Reports recently released its results of the 2022 reliability survey, and we now know the least reliable luxury car brand out there. Which automaker takes this award, and which vehicle ranks the least reliable of the brand‘s lineup?
The most reliable luxury car brand of 2022
According to Consumer Reports, Toyota is the most reliable brand, but Lexus takes the win in the luxury car segment. Essentially, this brand is a part of Toyota, the luxury division of the Japanese automaker, so it’s not really surprising that it offers top-notch reliability. Even some auto reviewers, like Kelley Blue Book, feel that Lexus has the best brand image of all the luxury brands on the market.
Lexus has six models that CR gathered information on for 2022. The GX and the NX Hybrid have the highest predicted reliability scores out of the six vehicles. Of the two, the GX has the highest rating.
The remaining four vehicles, the ES, UX, ES Hybrid, and NX, have above-average reliability scores. The NX compact SUV is the model with the lowest rating in the brand lineup covered by CR.
Which automaker is the least reliable car brand for 2022?
While Lexus wins the most reliable brand for luxury cars, the automaker that wins (or loses in this case) the least reliable brand is Mercedes-Benz. It’s dead last out of the 24 automakers covered by Consumer Reports in 2022. Due to more reliability issues, the brand fell five spots from its place at No. 19 last year.
That’s pretty disheartening since the brand makes some pretty incredible vehicles. Just a few bad apples are spoiling the barrel, so to speak. Looking back a few decades, you might remember some pretty unreliable models. The brand’s older E350 model saw quite a few problems in 2006, including fuel system issues, brake problems, and many ABS errors on the dash.
Then there was the C300, which was a nightmare for some owners. Sunroof panels flew off while driving on the freeway, airbag inflators exploded and sent shrapnel into passengers, and there was also an issue with the steering locknut.
Which Mercedes-Benz vehicle is the least reliable in the lineup?
There are only two models that Consumer Reports had enough data on to include in the survey’s report. Both models are rated poorly in the below-average range. The E-Class version rates the highest of the two, but not by much. That leaves the Mercedes-Benz GLE as the least reliable model of the brand.
According to Car HP, the GLE model has had troubling reliability issues since its 2020 model year. Current issues for the 2022 GLE include problems with the engine (stalling and rough idling), brakes (excess noise and inconsistent pressure), suspension (excess vibration and degrading shocks), powertrain (misfiring and excess oil consumption), and steering (responsiveness and alignment).
Sadly, that’s not all, as the 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLE also has reported complaints regarding its driver-assistance features, interior seating, and infotainment system, among other faults. So far, the 2022 model year has been subject to five NHTSA recalls.
While Lexus offers top-notch quality for its reliable vehicles, Mercedes-Benz finds itself the least reliable brand on the market with recent trouble areas on its models.
