Jul 3, 2007 8:57 pm US/Eastern
Volkswagen Among Most Complained About Cars
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
When you buy a new car, you don't want problems, but how do you know which cars give drivers the most trouble?
Every year car owners complain to the Center for Auto Safety, often about the same problems over and over again.
That information is put together based on the number of complaints for every thousand vehicles sold. Cars with the most complaints top this year's most complained about car list.
Jim Bastone has been fixing cars for more than 40 years at Bastone Auto Service and if a certain make and model is having problems, he says he usually knows all about it.
Bastone says he's not surprised the Volkswagen Passat is No. 1 on the 2007 Car Complaint Index.
"We see a lot of those with electrical problems, fuel injection problems," he said. "I can't explain it. The Volkswagen used to be the foundation of what dependable cars were."
It's not a good year for Volkswagen on the Consumer Complaint Index. The Volkswagen Jetta holds the No. 3 spot.
But Lemon Law Attorney Craig Kimmel says it's not just the Volkswagen having electrical problems.
"Six of the top 10 cars on the list here - air bag concerns, electrical problems and vehicles shutting off or surging conditions," he said.
Other cars topping this year's list are the Pontiac Solstice, Mercedes Benz M Class, and the Nissan Quest.
What does the Car Complaint Index mean to shoppers? It's a heads up on what kinds of problems other car owners are having.
"It's not the Be-all end-all as far as deciding what kind of car to buy," Kimmel said. "But you're stuck between a Passat and another vehicle in its category and you just can't decide, this information may be helpful for you."
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