Dodge, Pontiac and GMC have all put plenty of vehicles on American roads, and the owner complaint counts show it. The figures below come from CarComplaints.com, a self-reported database, so they track reports rather than confirmed defects. Twelve models from the three brands show where the complaints concentrate.
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1. Dodge Grand Caravan: Thousands Of Reports
Grand Caravan owners filed 3,426 complaints, the highest count on this list, according to CarComplaints’ Dodge page.
That is well ahead of every other model here, though a high count may partly reflect how many were sold. Buyers of a used Grand Caravan can read the individual problem listings to see which issues recur, rather than relying on the total alone. Owners can search by model year to see whether the volume of reports concentrates in particular years.
2. Dodge Intrepid: Oil Sludge Engine Failure
Intrepid owners filed 1,989 complaints, and the Dodge complaint listing puts a 1999 Intrepid oil-sludge engine failure at an average of $4,300 at 87,000 miles.
The cost is an average of reported repairs, so an individual bill could differ. Any 1999 Intrepid still on the road has long passed that mileage, but the entry shows how expensive the failure was for owners who reported it. It also ranks second on the Dodge list, behind only the Grand Caravan, which makes it one of the brand’s most-reported models.
3. Dodge Avenger: Third Among Dodges
Avenger owners filed 941 complaints on CarComplaints’ Dodge listings.
The Avenger sits third among the Dodge models here, behind the Grand Caravan and Intrepid. No single defect is named in the summary, so shoppers would need to read the report details for specifics before deciding whether the count affects a particular car. No cost or mileage figure comes with this entry, so the count stands alone, and it is far smaller than the Grand Caravan’s 3,426. Looking at individual model years would help separate a problem year from a typical one.
4. Dodge Dakota: Nearly Tied With Avenger
Dakota owners filed 921 complaints, a tally shown on the Dodge page at CarComplaints.
The Dakota trails the Avenger by only 20 reports, so the two sit close together in the Dodge ranking. As with every count here, the number reflects owner-submitted reports, and the underlying problem descriptions say more than the total does. With no repair cost or mileage listed for the Dakota in the summary, the figure is only a rough signal, and the individual reports would show whether they cluster in a few years.
5. Pontiac Grand Am: Pontiac’s Most Reported
Grand Am owners filed 1,700 complaints, the most for Pontiac, per CarComplaints’ Pontiac page.
It places third on this list, behind the Grand Caravan and the Intrepid. Because the count is the brand’s highest, anyone considering a Grand Am might expect more owner reports to read through, which can help in spotting a recurring problem before buying. It is also well above the Pontiac Bonneville’s 504, showing how uneven the totals are within one brand. Shoppers might read the Grand Am complaints by year to find out whether problems cluster.
6. Pontiac G6: Failing Power Steering
G6 owners filed 1,410 complaints, and a 2006 G6 faulty power steering averages $1,100 at 72,000 miles, as the Pontiac complaint listing shows.
The repair figure applies to the 2006 model year and is an average of reported costs. A buyer of a G6 from that period could ask whether the steering has been serviced, since the listing flags it as a problem worth knowing about. Owner reports on a faulty steering system are worth reading closely for a car of this age.
7. Pontiac Grand Prix: A Familiar Name
Grand Prix owners filed 1,344 complaints on CarComplaints’ Pontiac listings.
That puts it third among the four Pontiacs on this list, after the Grand Am and the G6. The summary names no single defect for the Grand Prix, so the count mostly shows that owners reported enough trouble to be worth reading closely. Since it carries no cost or mileage detail here, the total is the main takeaway, and it sits just below the G6’s 1,410. Reading individual reports would show which problems drive it.
8. Pontiac Bonneville: The Smallest Pontiac Tally
Bonneville owners filed 504 complaints, according to the Pontiac page at CarComplaints.
That is less than a third of the Grand Am’s count, though a smaller tally may simply reflect fewer cars sold or fewer owners reporting. Even the lowest Pontiac here sits within a few hundred of the Dodge Avenger and Dakota. The total comes with no cost or mileage detail, so reading the individual reports is the only way to learn what owners experienced. A low count still deserves the same history check as any used car.
9. GMC Sierra 1500: The Worst Year Listed
The Sierra 1500 has the most complaints of any GMC with 1,419, and the 2015 model is the worst year listed on CarComplaints’ GMC page.
Shoppers looking at a used Sierra 1500 may want to read the 2015 complaints first, since that is the year the listing singles out. A high count for a popular truck can also reflect its volume on the road. The 1,419 figure also puts the Sierra just above the Pontiac G6’s 1,410, so the two sit nearly level.
10. GMC Acadia: Costly Transmission Failure
Acadia owners filed 892 complaints, and a 2008 Acadia transmission failure averages $3,700 at 86,000 miles, according to the GMC complaint listing.
The figure is an average of owner-reported repair costs for the 2008 model year. A buyer considering an Acadia of that vintage could ask for transmission service history, since the failure happened at a fairly modest mileage. At 892 complaints, the Acadia also tops the Yukon and Terrain on the GMC list, apart from the Sierra 1500.
11. GMC Yukon: Mid-Table GMC
Yukon owners filed 786 complaints, a count shown on CarComplaints’ GMC listings.
The Yukon sits between the Acadia and the Terrain in this group of GMC models. No individual defect is named for it in the summary, so the number serves best as a starting point for reading the specific complaints behind it. Its 786 is below the Acadia’s 892 and above the Terrain’s 692, so GMC totals here run in a fairly tight range apart from the Sierra.
12. GMC Terrain: Oil Consumption Trouble
Terrain owners filed 692 complaints, and 2011 Terrain excessive oil consumption averages $5,100 at 93,000 miles, per the GMC problem listing.
That average is the costliest repair figure in this group of twelve. It applies to the 2011 model year, so anyone shopping for a used Terrain of that age might ask whether the engine has been checked for oil use. Its complaint count is also the lowest of the four GMC models on this list.
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