Europeans have their sports cars, the Japanese their drifters, and we love our pickup trucks in America. These are, of course, stereotypes and oversimplifications of billions of people’s tastes, but, in general, it is pretty fair to say Americans love pickup trucks. Pickup trucks are cool. They have style. They are practical. Trucks often come in 4×4 and easy to lift so you can run through the mud, and that’s a great time. However, some trucks are not so cool. In fact, some just plain suck. 

The folks at Journey Ranger agree with my thoughts on Americans and their love of trucks. JR reports that 18 percent of all vehicles sold in the states every year are pickups. Sales numbers like that mean that the market is saturated, and there are plenty of pickups to choose from. The sheer amount of trucks that have been made means that some have to have missed the mark. 

2002 Lincoln Blackwood pickup truck

Lincoln has been around a long time and has a reputation to go along with that. Even though Lincoln made its name making luxury limos for presidents, it thought, “maybe we should try our hand at the truck thing?” Wrong, Lincoln. This ain’t for you. 

In 2002 Lincoln released the truck no one asked for, the Blackwood. This truck was hardly a truck at all. It was essentially a navigator that Lincoln cut the roof off the trunk area and called it a bed. It looked and, in fact, was dumb. Good riddance, Blackwood.

The Dodge Ram Daytona 

Oh, Doge. Dodge (and now RAM) has never had any problem making a version of something it already makes, but just way more powerful. Well, the Dodge Ram Daytona truck made its debut in 2005. Dodge marketed this truck as a sort of rugged street rod type pickup truck that could haul a load on the farm during the week and burn up muscle cars on the weekend. The Daytona looked the part with all its bodywork and low slung suspension, but what sat under the hood was a dud. It really didn’t feel any different than other Ram’s, except it was low and less efficient at doing work. 

Chevrolet K2500

Rust happens; it just does. Some of the best cars and trucks in the world succumb to rust. What most folks may not know is, some vehicles rust worse than others. That would prove to be the case for the Chevy K2500. 

After the K2500 launched in 1997, people bought them. Who could blame them? This thing is the most trucky truck to ever truck. After 15-20 years, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see your work truck have some rusty spots here and there, but after only a little more than a year? That is something different. Buyers reported, shortly after buying their K2500, that large rust deposits were found under the front seats. Rust is the enemy, and if a pickup truck can’t fight that enemy for longer than a year, we have problems.

The Ram 3500

Above all else, pickup trucks must work. I know not everyone uses them as work vehicles, but that is what they are made to do. If you can’t rely on the engine, then you can’t rightly depend on it to get the work done. 

The Ram 3500 is nothing if not a work pickup truck. The dually configuration is not running around town or for road trips. No, this truck is for hauling trailers and serious farm work, and it couldn’t be trusted to do it. The Ram 3500 was once named the “Least reliable vehicle you can buy,” according to Journey Ranger. Some owners reported having problems with the suspension, fuel system, transmission, and steering. That Dodge won’t hunt.