Few vehicles sum up The United States like the pickup truck. They are some of the most useful types of vehicles in the world, able to store an abundance of luggage and equipment in their bed while also being practical.
Trucks like the Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F-150 have forged legendary reputations. But, some pickup trucks have proven less successful.
This list will document 25 of the worst pickup trucks that became less cool as the years passed. We have packed as much variety in this list as possible, including a few unusual examples of the pickup truck.
Chevrolet SSR
The SSR is a very unconventional pickup truck. In the mid-2000s, Chevrolet decided the world needed a smaller pickup truck with a big V8 and convertible roof. Thus, the SSR was born. Initially, the SSR had a 300 hp 5.3-liter Vortec V8, but Chevrolet added the 6.0-liter 390 hp LS2 V8 in 2005. Sadly for the Bow Tie, the SSR was a colossal failure. The truck was heavy and handled poorly, while the bed was useless as a storage facility. Much of its space is also taken up by the folding roof.
Mazda B-Series
Mazda isn’t a regular player in the pickup truck segment. The B-Series of trucks marked one of their few forays into the segment, and it was an aesthetically pleasing truck. However, the final generation was a clanger, as Mazda had focussed too heavily on practicality for commuters rather than its core truck purpose. The B-Series was severely underpowered and inefficient, leaving it to see out its days on a whimper.
2023 Lordstown Endurance
The Lordstown Endurance is a newcomer to the market, but this electric pickup has already earned a place on this list. It falls short compared to its main rival, the Rivian R1T. The R1T has a range of up to 352 miles, but the most you can get out of the Endurance is 200. At $65,000 MSRP, it is also a costly pickup truck and tows 3,000 lbs less than the 11,000 lbs of the R1T. However, Lordstown will no doubt improve the Endurance to rival the Rivian.
2006 Honda Ridgeline
Sometimes, a specific model year of a vehicle is better than others. The 2006 Honda Ridgeline is a classic example of a great overall product let down by a single year. The 2006 Ridgeline suffered from its impractically small rear bed and a drop in build quality over other Ridgelines. It didn’t affect the pickup truck too much, as the Ridgeline is still in production in 2024.
Subaru Brat
On the face of it, the Brat is one of the coolest-looking pickups ever made. However, it suffered from the same issues as the Chevrolet SSR in that, in reality, it wasn’t a proper pickup truck. The Brat was simply a sedan with a flatbed added to the back, which was the fundamental issue with the pickup truck. Storage space was also at a premium, so consumers turned to the more practical offerings from Chevrolet and Ford to facilitate their pickup truck needs.
Chevrolet Avalanche
The Avalanche comes from a time when smaller, leisure-focused pickup trucks were at a premium. The Avalanche suffered from many quality issues thanks to its conception in the mid-2000s. These included the midgate never being watertight, cracking dashboards, and faulty fuel level sensors. The design of the Avalanche would also cause problems. As it was so bulky, visibility outside for the driver was sometimes hindered, and it would also suffer from recalls thanks to problems with its airbags.
2002 Subaru Baja
After the Brat’s poor success, Subaru decided to try again with the new Baja in the early 2000s. But like its predecessor, the Baja also had limited trunk and bed space, and it was closer to a sedan than a pickup. Powering the Baja was a 2.5-liter H4 engine, with and without turbocharging. Sales could have been better, with Subaru selling just 30,000 over four and a half years when they had hoped to sell 24,000 a year.
Third-Generation Dodge Dakota
For most of its life, the Dodge Dakota was a successful one. But the final generation of the Dakota is when things came crashing down. Confusing marketing didn’t help, as in 2010, the Dakota was part of the Ram lineup, but it still carried the Dodge name. The final years of the Dakota saw poorer and poorer sales as the popularity of compact trucks started to decline. The Dakota’s aging styling played its part in that demise.
Ford Courier
Ford based the Courier on Mazda’s early B-Series pickup trucks, and it was the Blue Oval’s first foray into the compact pickup truck segment. First impressions were good, as the Courier offered good reliability and was an affordable truck. However, its compact size came at a price of toughness and ruggedness, so the Courier was less dependable a choice than some of Ford’s larger offerings.
Dodge Rampage
In the 1980s, Dodge was another manufacturer that tried to turn a passenger-carrying vehicle into a pickup truck. It produced the Rampage for two years, which would also become the Plymouth Scamp. Like the SSR, Brat, and Baja, the Rampage wasn’t successful because its pickup bed was too small for practical use. Its unibody construction, front-wheel drive layout, and underpowered 2.20-liter K inline-four engine also let the Rampage down.
Chevrolet LUV
In the 1970s, Chevrolet partnered with Isuzu to create the Light Utility Vehicle (LUV) pickup truck. The LUV was the Isuzu KB rebadged and then sold under the Chevrolet name in the United States, and it was part of the 1970s subcompact truck mini-craze. The LUV’s size, efficiency, and affordability led to a promising start. However, as consumers shifted towards buying bigger, more refined trucks, the LUV fell out of favor as the 1980s dawned.
Ford Explorer Sport Trac
In the early 2000s, Ford decided it was their turn to try blending a pickup truck with another vehicle. The Explorer Sport Trac was a combination of an SUV and pickup truck, as the Blue Oval tried to ride on the success of its Explorer SUV. The Sport Trac had a short pickup bed, crew cab design, and sportier looks than standard trucks. But consumers soon saw through the quirky concept, which went the same way as the Subaru Baja and Chevrolet SSR.
Mitsubishi Raider
The mid-size pickup truck segment is going through a renaissance. But in the mid-2000s, Mitsubishi wanted to breathe some life into the segment with its smaller Raider pickup. However, having teamed up with Chrysler, the Raider was nothing more than a rebadged Dodge Dakota. The Raider even came with Chrysler’s PowerTech V6 and V8 engines; Mitsubishi would only produce it for three years. Against more established names, the Raider never stood a chance.
Jeep Comanche
First appearing in 1986, the Commanche was Jeep’s effort to break into the compact pickup truck segment. Jeep hoped to compete with its Japanese rivals, but the company was also in financial difficulties, so it hoped the Commache could turn around its fortunes. A lavish event launched the truck, which had an inline-four, inline-six, V6, and turbo diesel inline-four engines. But like Mitusbishi’s Raider, the Commacnhe faced stiff competition. Poor sales led Jeep and Chrysler to phase out production of the truck.
2006 Nissan Frontier
The Frontier is a well-established part of the Nissan range. However, the 2006 model is one that the Japanese manufacturer would like to forget. All manner of transmission issues would plague the 2006 Frontier, and a search of websites such as Repair Pal reveals an abundance of recalls for various issues, including corrosion on crash sensors.
2006 Dodge Ram 2500
For whatever reason, 2006 was an abysmal year for pickup trucks. The 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 was another that suffered that year. Consumer Reports listed 11 recalls for the truck, and its reliability rating was a poor 55 out of 100. Drivetrain components and transmission faults are some of the more notable problems that have faced the 2006 Ram 2500.
Chevrolet El Camino
Chevrolet’s El Camino is another pickup that tried to blend regular driving with pickup utility. It debuted in 1959, and Chevrolet tried to combine coupe styling with a regular truck. While it had its positives, such as solid reliability and toughness, consumers would soon gravitate towards the more giant pickup trucks available.
GMC Sonoma
GMC would debut the Sonoma in 1991, entering the compact truck segment. However, the Sonoma was, in reality, the Chevrolet S10, rebadged under one of GM’s other brands. It carried over plenty of features that made the S10 so good, such as its range of engines and trim levels. However, the Sonoma couldn’t compete with the more established sister truck, and GMC discontinued it in 2004.
2008 Ford F250/F350
Ford’s most famous pickup is the F-150, but it also produces larger trucks, the F250 and F350. However, the 2008 examples of both these trucks would need to improve reliability. Just 38 percent of buyers said they would repurchase a 2008 F250 or F350, thanks to issues around the bottom end. It wasn’t uncommon for these trucks to expire well before they reached the 100,000-mile mark.
Cadillac Mirage
The Mirage was Cadillac’s attempt at a merged pickup design, much like the Chevrolet El Camino. To create it, Cadillac cut a truck bed into a 1976 DeVille coupe, and thus, the Mirage was born. The company commissioned Gene Winfield to build 204 examples. As you might expect, converting another vehicle into a truck ended poorly. The Mirage struggled to handle any heavy loads—that was if you could fit them into the poorly sized pickup bed.
2008 GMC Sierra
The GMC Sierra shares many of its core mechanical components with the Chevrolet Silverado. However, the 2008 Sierra didn’t seem to share the same quality as the Silverado. Some of the issues with the 2008 model are bizarre, such as the door handles breaking off and the fuel sensor and engine lights not working. Thankfully, more recent Sierras have very few issues, and they remain a core part of the GMC range.
2005 Dodge Ram Daytona
Think of the Dodge Ram Daytona as a pickup truck-styled tribute to the Dodge Charger Daytonas of the late 1960s. It even has the same rear wing design as the classic NASCAR. It had the power to match its looks, too, with a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 producing 345 hp and 375 lb-ft of torque. However, remember that rear wing? It took a lot of the practicality away from the rear bed. And it didn’t add any extra performance, so the novelty of a NASCAR-inspired pickup truck quickly wore off.
2023 Ram 1500
Be careful if you pick up a 2023 Ram 1500. While it is still relatively new, the coolness of your new Ram will wear off quickly when you factor in expected 10-year maintenance costs. These could set you back as much as $18,000 on top of the $38,750 that the 1500 is available for. CarEdge estimates a 54.8% chance that your 2023 1500 will need significant repairs within those ten years, so be sure you are ready for this if you want a 2023 Ram 1500.
Fourth-Generation Ford F-250 Super Duty
Ford’s Super Duty pickup trucks are legendary haulers, and the fourth-gen F-250 is no exception. Under the hood is a massive 6.7-liter turbo diesel engine, and it’s a truck that can pull up to 23,000 lbs and over 4,000 lbs worth of luggage. Due to its size, however, yearly maintenance could set you back $1,500 or even higher, depending on how much you put your truck through over a year.
In the late 1970s, Chevrolet made a good fist of creating a diesel pickup truck. Hence, the C/K diesel was born. The novelty, however, wore off quickly, as Chevrolet struggled to make the C/K genuinely reliable, and its 125 hp engine was a significant letdown. The C/K isn’t one of Chevrolet’s prettiest trucks, either.
