The single goal that we all hope to achieve during the car-buying experience is to find something that fits our lifestyle. Sometimes, we get distracted from the most basic practicalities—you know, the reason why you're getting a new car in the first place? It's too small for your family, the gas mileage isn't what you can afford anymore, or whatever the case may be. One of the most overlooked factors is whether or not the car is secure and reliable. For whatever reason, these important tidbits seem to be repeatedly overlooked. But car-buyers aren't the only people guilty of this sin. Thieves are just as illogical at choosing their car of prey.

How astonishing and yet soul-crushing it must be to find your car missing from its parking spot. What's worse is that this car was already hassling you in the weeks up to this unfortunate event, with many necessary repairs costing you an arm and a leg in labor alone. And now, you're vehicle-less with tons of insurance paperwork ahead of you. All of this headache, and thieves still find themselves attracted to these (sometimes) sketchy cars—not to knock the names because not all of these vehicles are downright terrible. Some years are better for manufacturers than others, though. Yet these also happen to be some of the most commonly stolen models. The irony of criminal minds is somewhat unbelievable, but the facts can hold their own.

20 2001 Jeep Cherokee

This Jeep SUV has always seemed to be a popular choice for those who just needed some extra space while conveniently being able to use it in various terrains. Unfortunately, this clunky vehicle also had a spell of problems, and several parts were recalled by the manufacturer. These issues ranged from safety to inconvenience; however, one of the most recognizable was it causing the inability of oncoming drivers to see the Cherokee due to the weak headlights and reflectors (both of which were recalled). And to make for a perfect storm, the Cherokee also had faulty brakes. In spite of this, the 2000 Cherokee and Grand Cherokee were one of the most stolen vehicles of 2016, with over 9,245 here at home.

19 2008 Chevrolet Impala

via Best Car Magazine

The Chevy Impala is a car of many problems. While it’s a classic, its predecessors just don’t seem to be up to par as far as reliability goes. Regardless of age, any model after 2000 seems to experience issues with the brakes, engine noise, and the transmission, among many more issues. It’s difficult to say whether the Impala is just easy to misdiagnose by an inexperienced mechanic or if this car really does live up to the complaints. Interestingly enough, this crappy ride is also one of the most at-risk cars for being stolen. The 2008 Chevrolet Impala was one of the most stolen cars in 2016, at least 9,749 models being stolen. But almost all Impalas made in the last 15 years are nearly just as susceptible to theft.

18 2016 Ford Transit

via AutoGuide

Notorious for its series of (seemingly never-ending) issues, Ford’s 2016 Transit Van is responsible for scaring off some consumers from buying Ford products ever again.

There have been a couple of recalls before even reaching the year-and-a-half mark. It's had issues with starting, and in a few rare cases, the van has set on fire.

The 2016 Transit also has an annoying Bluetooth feature known as "Sync" that connects your phone to the van but also repeats that fact each time you get in your car. This advertising scheme has annoyed some buyers out of the van entirely. With that said, carjackers must completely be unaware of the faultiness of this van. In 2016, 669 thieves accidentally did these frustrated owners a favor.

17 2016 Ford Fusion

via Car And Driver

The trusty 2016 Ford Fusion is anything but that. In fact, many drivers have reported problems with the car stalling or dying, transmission troubles, lost battery power while driving, bad throttle body—you name it. The list goes on, and the complaints have just about the same ring to them.

Apparently, 2016 wasn't a great year for Ford because there seemed to be several issues with a few of their vehicles.

And to the owner’s dismay, on top of these nagging issues, this car was also one of the top ten brand-new vehicles most likely to be stolen, with at least 914 reported stolen in 2016. It’s safe to say that reliability wasn’t important to these car thieves.

16 2013 Chevrolet Traverse

via Flickr

This crossover SUV really gained quite a bit of popularity, contrary to what many may believe. The 2013 Traverse had a significant number of mechanical difficulties and low ratings, but there were still plenty of buyers. The number one problem that Traverses experienced was engine failure along with power steering troubles. Those are some pretty important pieces to go bad so quickly. It’s surprising that the criminals were even attracted to a ‘mom car,’ but one with quite a few mechanical failures at that? The Traverse was one of the most stolen SUVs of 2013 with 720 reports. Who knew it became so trendy?

15 2016 Dodge Charger

via Pixabay

The Dodge Charger has always been a favorite, and for many years, there was good reason for that. In the latest models, things have sadly taken a bad turn for Chargers. Among the plethora of problems that drivers experienced, the most common was engine failure and stalling, the over-consumption of oil, transmission issues, as well as the car sporadically engulfing itself in flames, to name just a very few. It’s not all that shocking that people would have their eyes peeled for a near-new Charger because of its sports car title, but this car isn’t exactly worth much. It has an overall 2-star rating, yet over 949 were stolen in 2016.

14 2008-2010 Chrysler 300

via Wikipedia

The Chrysler 300 is a more affordable luxury vehicle that had its own time when it reigned over the world of sedans. However, since then, the 300 has faded from the mainstream, and now, the 2008-2010 models are one of the most susceptible to being stolen. If any criminal did a little research before stealing this car, then they’d probably steer clear of these problematic chariots.

For every 1,000 insured Chrysler 300s, there were 7.1 claims filed.

Plus, it’s the sixth-most targeted car for theft. Additionally, the 300 has a chronic issue with stalling out as well as with the transmission, the alternator, and worst of all, a serious issue of value depreciation. This luxury ride is anything but, yet it continues to be targeted for theft.

13 2011 Ford Explorer

2011_Ford_Explorer
via Wikipedia

The Ford Explorer is one of the manufacturer’s most popular vehicles, but it’s even more commonly known as a target for theft. Between January 1, 2010 - December 31, 2013, 958 Ford Explorers were reported stolen. It’s an even more shocking statistic once you know how many problems this model had. For one thing, a large number of owners had issues with water leaking in as well as it being more prone to rusting. This would seem like a less appealing SUV to steal at this point, but when you take into account all of the air conditioning malfunctions, the steering problems, as well as the miscellaneous knocking and rattling noises, and worst of all, the engine stalling out, you realize that it’s no easy feat for someone to steal this hunk of metal.

12 2013 Chevrolet Avalanche

RN GLZLZ via Flickr

While it may seem like Ford dominates the majority of the most stolen vehicles, GM has had a few bad years of its own, including 2013. The Avalanche was the third-most stolen vehicle with an average insurance loss of $5,463. To be fair, Avalanche had stepped up its game in its final model (2013). The engine and the transmission have fared much better than they had in years prior. However, the 2013 Avalanche did have a few issues with cracking and loose dashboards, door panels fell off, and there were problems with the seat as well as a few minor interior bugs. As far as the cab goes, this truck was way below standards, yet some still wanted it enough to steal it…

11 2002 Dodge Caravan

via Flickr

It’s pretty difficult to imagine anyone wanting to steal a minivan if only out of desperation. You’d be surprised to find that this was actually a vehicle of choice to car thieves at one point in time. The Dodge Caravan was the ninth-most stolen vehicle in 2015 with a total of 9,798 reported stolen. It’s relatively hard to comprehend why anyone would like to steal a Caravan, not purely out of disdain for the stigmatized ‘mom car’ but also because of its faulty mechanics. There are a plethora of issues found with Dodge’s popular minivan; however, some of the more common ones involve problems getting the Caravan to start, premature brake failure, and hard shifting, to name a few.

10 2015 GMC Sierra

via Flickr

While the GMC Sierra isn't an inherently bad vehicle, 2015 was one of the less celebrated years for the Sierra. For one thing, it was the fifth-most stolen new car in 2015 with at least 970 trucks reported stolen.

On an even more unpleasant note, the Sierra also had quite a few issues in 2015, including a bad transmission and endless reports of engine problems.

Some of these problems arose within minutes of new owners driving off of the lot. In spite of these serious mechanical issues, these pickups still remain valued and highly prevalent, especially for carjackers.

9 GMC Yukon

via Wikimedia Commons

A family favorite, GM’s Tahoe and Yukon are two of the most popular SUVs apart from the Ford Explorer, although, for a while, these General Motors SUVs were more prone to being stolen than their rival–Ford–equivalent. However, the Yukon always seems to be slightly ahead of the Tahoe. In 2013, the Yukon was the ninth-most stolen vehicle with a reported $6,276 average insurance loss. There's no specification on year range; however, all models of the Yukon prior to 2013 were high-risk, causing General Motors to reinforce their security system in these SUVs in 2014. The Yukon wasn’t so reliable either; it had issues with just about all electrical components, including door locks, as well as transmission and engine problems. The old Dodge model seemed to fare better (mechanically) than most of the others on this list, however.

8 2001 Dodge Ram

via Wikimedia Commons

The truck culture is no stranger to the Ford-Chevy war, while Dodge is left on the wayside. Apparently, the mainstream debate is meaningless in the long run because the 2001 Dodge Ram was the sixth-most stolen vehicle in 2016 with over 11k reported stolen (none of Ford’s trucks even made the list). Of course, this could also have to do with a faulty security system, but we’d like to think that it’s not just two big names that rule the truck world. The Ram has fared better (mechanically) than some of the others on the list; however, it did encounter numerous issues with transmission, air conditioning, brakes, as well as front wheel bearings. No number of problems can keep a popular truck from being stolen, though.

7 2012 Ford Escape

via youtube

As a longtime favorite family SUV, the Ford Escape is a nice, modestly sized SUV that's perfect for a wide range of people. It fits many different lifestyles, and so it happens to be a very commonly bought vehicle. Unfortunately, it also happens to be a commonly stolen one.

The 2012 Escape was the most stolen SUV in 2013, with at least 1,421 reports.

However, this one-size-fits-all car is anything but a dream. While many may be attracted to its flexibility, they'd be dismayed to find out what's really going on with it. The transmission tends to go out prior to 100k miles, the car shudders, it has terrible handling, and the list goes on. On top of everything, this is also a car that’s highly likely to be stolen.

6 2004 Chevrolet Silverado

via Flickr

One of the most beloved pickups, the Silverado has been a favorite for quite some time. It would naturally lead anyone to believe that it must be a highly reliable vehicle. While not all Silverados are ‘bad,’ one of the more troubled years of the model was 2004. Many owners faced fuel-pump failure as well as faulty fuel injectors on top of air conditioning malfunctions, inaccurate gauges, and above all, a faulty transmission that required constant maintenance (for some) in the truck’s earlier years. In spite of all these hassles, in 2016, over 27k 2004 Chevrolet Silverados were stolen. That just goes to show how mainstream these trucks truly are.

5 2006 Ford F-Series

via Flickr

The Ford F-150 has been ranked as the most popular vehicle for many years. But with all of the support behind this truck, it still had a few bad models under its belt. The 2006 F-150 was especially ridden with quite a few complications with its engine, including hard starting, engine failure, and a recurring problem with spark plugs breaking off. It didn’t stop at the engine, though; many drivers experienced a blown transmission, shuddering while turning, as well as minor electrical issues. But the USA’s favorite truck isn’t going to get passed up by a carjacker just because it has some mechanical obstacles. A whopping 29,396 models were reported stolen in 2016, so there’s definitely some temptation behind these trucks.

4 2012 Chevrolet Equinox

via Wikimedia Commons

Where to begin with the Chevy Equinox? In spite of the many struggles this crossover SUV will put an owner through, it’s grown in popularity in the past few years. People just keep coming back for more, and those people include thieves!

The Equinox was plagued with many oil-related issues, including the oil indicator not working properly, causing many people to have to replace the engine.

While the Equinox has significantly fewer complaints than the others, its minor issues can create colossal ones. It was the tenth-most stolen SUV for 2012-2013 with a total of 648 reported. We’d like to hope that a few of them had to learn about the oil-change dilemma the hard way…

3 2012 Ford Edge

via Wikimedia Commons

The Ford Edge is one of the less appealing of the Ford SUVs; however, not to thieves. It’s the second-most stolen SUV, according to 2013 reports. For whatever reason, criminals choose to steal the risky, bulky vehicles with numerous problems. The Edge is no exception to this sin. The latest models of Ford vehicles have been a bit below performance standards; the Edge had big issues with stalling out as well as sporadically losing power steering. In addition, the oil light indicator falsely turns on, which causes the engine to cut off. And lastly, it has a fairly annoying habit of losing the ability to accelerate. It’d be fairly amusing to watch someone even try to snag one of these mechanical disasters.

2 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt

via Flickr

If not the most notable on the list, the Chevrolet Cobalt is a close second. This car is known for its brutal handling and unreliable engine. The 2009 Cobalt, in spite of its flimsy track record, was one of the most stolen vehicles of 2011 with at least 273 reported stolen. Since it’s common knowledge that the Cobalt is an utterly frustrating vehicle, then it can be assumed that any criminal willing to steal it must be in a bind. One of the most common defects found in the car is the key getting stuck in the ignition or not turning properly. In fact, the key would stick and not allow the car to turn off as well. The power windows get stuck, the headlights blow out repeatedly, and the car has a serious issue with the clutch going out. With all of that knowledge in mind and maybe some first-hand experience, the Chevy Cobalt would probably not make the most sense to steal…

1 2011 Chevrolet Malibu

via YouTube

The one car that hasn't had much of a spotlight in a few years is the Chevrolet Malibu, which might make it a more surprising ride on this list. This car was one of the most stolen vehicles in 2011 (most likely because it was brand new); there was a grand total of 554 reported stolen.

The car may not be the most popular in sales, but it didn't get neglected in the world of car-jacking.

In fact, one of the major flaws with this car was the anti-theft system; it had a defect that would prevent it from working, allowing the car to be stolen more easily. For a thief, this is obviously a beneficial issue. However, it also experienced more universally annoying problems, some of which include power steering failure, fuel gauge inaccuracy, oil leaks, as well as a misfiring engine.

Sources: NICB, Consumer Affairs, Consumer Reports, Forbes