GM is the largest American car manufacturer, established in 1908. The company has been producing excellent and thrilling cars - it continues to do so with cars like the Chevrolet Corvette and the Cadillac CT5-V. About a decade ago, the company surpassed the 10-million sales mark thanks to its brands, including Chevrolet, Cadillac, and GMC. Over its many years, General Motors has played a huge role in developing leading technologies that continue to wow the world.

Updated in April 2022: General Motors is a massive auto manufacturer renowned worldwide for building outstanding cars from its brands such as Chevrolet and Buick. However, even with such a successful history, the company still has its fair share of flops. We've updated this list to present some of the worst GM cars that should be avoided.

Related: 23 Problems With GM Cars Every Buyer Needs To Know About

GM has been keen to produce vehicles with fewer reliability issues, minimizing quality problems that eventually lead to recalls. But, despite the efforts, there have been moments that GM wishes we'd forget. Among the most outstanding of these recalls is the 6.7 million cars recalled in 1971 due to sudden acceleration, and in 2004 when the company recalled nearly 800,000 of its small cars due to faulty ignition. The following are twenty GM cars plagued by serious problems with such information in mind.

20 Buick Enclave

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When Buick introduced the Enclave for 2008, it was an excellent car. Reviews of the 2008 model were actually quite good. Drivers were pleased with the serene drive, the luscious interior, and the beautiful exterior styling. In the second half of its first ten years, GM sold an average of 60,000 units per year, which is decent, given the stiff competition in the segment.

However, the Enclave does have a bad record of drivers' complaints ranging from issues with transmissions and timing chains to power steering. While the second-generation launched in 2017 may have addressed some of these issues, it comes at the cost of a generally sub-par cabin and poor value for money. And although the latest Enclave can still be ranked among the best SUV models for 2022, it still suffers some serious issues, including electrical system failure that causes sudden deceleration.

19 Buick LeSabre

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The Buick LeSabre is one of the hottest sedans of all time. First launched in 1959, this iconic full-size sedan had a long history with body styles of sedans, wagons, convertibles and coupes. The LeSabre has competed with other domestic powerhouses like the Chevrolet Caprice and Impala, the Pontiac Bonneville, and the Oldsmobile 88.

The LeSabre consistently sold over 130,000 units per year since the mid-1990s before the model was discontinued in 2005. However, despite going out as one of the best-selling sedans in America, the car was plagued with serious problems. One of the issues that refused to go away was its power windows, partly caused by faulty window regulators.

18 Buick Rendezvous

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The mid-size SUV segment has experienced stiff competition since the early 2000s. And the competition has only gotten stiffer. Buick didn't do itself any favors by releasing the Rendezvous in 2001. Buick desperately needed this model to be successful, and wanted to win the hearts of young buyers. The exterior styling fell flat, but sales figures were also far from impressive given what the competition was doing.

Related: 10 GM Cars Most Gearheads Never Knew Existed

A leaking intake manifold had been the Rendezvous' greatest problem, as indicated on the Car Complaints website, with most issues surfacing in 2002 and 2003.

17 Buick Verano

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The Verano is Buick's entry-level, small luxury sedan released in 2010 and manufactured in both Michigan and Shanghai. Interestingly, the Verano was released in North America given the success of the Chinese-equivalent model called the "Buick Excelle," which has been around since 2003. Unfortunately, the vehicle didn't do as well in North America, resulting in GM altogether retiring it in 2016.

One of the biggest problems with the Verano was a common GM issue in vehicles from the 1990s related to excessive oil consumption. This was due to a poorly manufactured turbocharged inline-4 engine, which Buick hoped would result in a more fun-to-drive vehicle than the now-retired Pontiac G5 and Saturn Astra.

16 Cadillac CTS

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Cadillac's response to a more upbeat Cadillac Catera was the CTS model introduced in 2002 as a mid-size luxury sedan. They hit the jackpot instantly with the CTS, winning several awards, including the 2002 North American Car of the Year. It later also won dual awards in 2008 for the Best Sport Sedan and Motor Trend's Car of the Year. In its third generation, the CTS has gotten both sleeker and sportier, especially given the hyper-tuned CTS-V model.

Despite all the fanfare, the Cadillac CTS hit a few bumps with the second generation, with the major problem being a faulty transfer case and transmission failure. There were also some recalls in 2009.

15 Cadillac Escalade

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Cadillac boldly entered the SUV market with the overbearing Escalade back in 1999. Given the market niche this full-size luxury SUV occupies, sales numbers have been steady despite a short blip in its third generation from 2009 to 2013. The Escalade is known to be popular among A-list celebrities and sports personalities.

One of the biggest problems plaguing the Escalade was its poor ride quality. It's nearly an abomination for such a luxury-focused SUV to offer a rough and bumpy ride. Worst still, buyers parting with over $70,000 expect an all-around perfect vehicle. The main culprit was the magnetic ride control, a problem General Motors eventually fixed by replacing the front and rear springs and shock absorbers.

14 Cadillac SRX

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Cadillac's SRX was produced from 2004 to 2016 and retired in its second generation. This midsize luxury SUV may have been ahead of its time in the segment, but sales started to pick up in 2010. The second-generation SRX did so well that it became Cadillac's best-selling vehicle. Sales started doubling in 2010 and kept climbing until it was discontinued.

Related: These Are The Weirdest Rules GM Employees Have To Follow

Despite increasing sales, problems started piling up for Cadillac. It started with a recall in 2010 caused by engine failure in its 2.8-liter turbocharged V6. The engine was then removed from the lineup and replaced with a 3.0-liter V6. Cadillac later introduced a 3.6-liter V6 to make up for the power deficit and maintain performance.

13 Chevrolet Cavalier

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Chevrolet's Cavalier was one of GM's most popular sedans. The car consistently sold over 300,000 units between 1984 and 1991, before the market saturation. The competition pushed numbers down to 200,000s, leading to the car's discontinuation in 2005.

While the Cavalier received a decent rating under the IIHS banner, there were some areas of concern. First of all was the airbag system, which received a "Poor" overall score, and a side-impact crash test that got a "Marginal" rating. The most frustrating is a complaint by customers that dashboard gauges like the speedometer would break down and stop working completely. There have been over 500 complaints filed on the Car Complaints website related to gauge cluster issues on this car.

12 Chevrolet Cobalt

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The Cobalt was a successor to the Chevrolet Cavalier, discontinued in 2005. Despite coming at a season when SUVs were at their peak, the Cobalt enjoyed massive success. It sold almost 200,000 units each year before GM replaced it with the Cruze in its first few years.

While the Cobalt had a more refined and better-functioning interior than the Cavalier, it did still have a few common issues that customers had to deal with. One of its most notorious problems was with its power steering. Many of its models required a complete steering column replacement. Other less-common issues ranged from minor transmission problems to keys getting stuck in the ignition.

11 Chevrolet Equinox

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The Chevrolet Equinox started off as a mid-size crossover SUV, and crossed over into the compact segment in 2018. Chevrolet has done well with this vehicle - the first generation consistently sold over 100,000 units every year in the U.S. The second generation came with an upgraded engine, transmission, and styling features. With these upgrades, the Equinox doubled sales to over 200,000 units per year.

But, despite these success stories, the Equinox was plagued by a problem that customers wouldn't notice easily. The vehicle suffered from excessive oil consumption. This problem plagued almost every buyer in the United States. This was further exemplified by a lawsuit targeting Equinox models produced between 2010 and 2017.

10 Chevrolet Impala

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The Chevy Impala is one of the longest-running models in Chevrolet's history. It has been in the market since 1958. In its first ten years, the Impala was widely known as the most expensive Chevrolet passenger car until it was rebadged as the "Caprice Classic" sedan before making a comeback later.

No longer is the Impala considered Chevrolet's flagship, with the focus clearly on the SUV lineup. While most modern Impalas are roomy and offer a smooth ride, the interior and exterior styling are dated and offer few features that are now standard on most lower-end cars. However, among the biggest frustrations facing customers were in the early 2000s with door-lock issues and erratic gear shifting.

9 Chevrolet Malibu

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Introduced in 1964 was an all-new vehicle in the Chevrolet lineup, the Malibu, a mid-size coupe, convertible, wagon and sedan. The first four generations ran until 1983, when Chevrolet ceased its production, before reintroducing it again in 1997. It's since done well, offering GM a steady income stream with a significant number from rental car fleets.

The Malibu is a competent, handsome, and roomy sedan but possesses little else in a segment dominated by the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. One of the biggest reliability issues impacting the Malibu was the 2012 recall caused by a problematic automatic transmission. The recall impacted nearly half a million units.

8 GMC Acadia

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The GMC Acadia is a mid-size SUV that shares a platform with other GM vehicles like the Chevrolet Traverse and the Buick Enclave. The Acadia has sold well across the country, averaging 90,000 units per year. Despite outselling the Enclave, it falls well short of the likes of the Ford Explorer and is in line with the Dodge Journey. That's hardly something to boast about.

While the Acadia can seat seven passengers, it has a very tight third row, has shades of poor build quality scattered across the interior, and offers poor fuel economy. Top that off with common customer complaints such as transmission failure, namely the inability to downshift in time, the result is an SUV that needs improvement.

7 GMC Envoy

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The GMC Envoy was the precursor to the GMC Acadia, a mid-size SUV sold by GM from 1997 to 2009. Both the Envoy and other related brands like the Chevrolet Trailblazer and the Buick Rainier were phased out by GM in 2009.

Seeing poor sales, especially in its final years from 2006 onwards, GMC struggled to keep pace with other SUVs in the segment. It was plagued in 2012 by a large recall impacting 258,000 SUVs across North America due to the short-circuiting of power window and door lock switches resulting in potentially devastating fires.

6 GMC Sierra

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The only truck to make this list is the GMC Sierra, the mechanically identical relative of the Chevrolet Silverado in North America, the Chevrolet Cheyenne in Mexico, and the Chevrolet C/K in several Asian countries. It's been around since 1999 and is now in its fourth generation as a premium version of the Silverado.

The Sierra 1500 model of today is a formidable opponent to the Ford F-150, offering top-notch tow and payload ratings, a handsome interior, and that smooth-shifting eight-speed transmission. The past, however, wasn't as rosy for this truck. The 2005 to 2009 models suffered from failures that affected the vehicles' electronics.

5 GMC Yukon

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GMC's Yukon takes its cues from the smaller GMC Jimmy SUV, which has been around since the late 1960s. The vehicle has since grown in size and stature following the rebranding in 1991. It shares a platform with Chevrolet's Tahoe and has plenty to offer with a massive interior cabin and upscale gadgetry.

Where the Yukon falls flat is how GM has priced the car, starting at over $50,000, which inches it close to better-equipped SUVs like the Infiniti QX80. Among the top-reported complaints are by customers who owned the third-generation 2007 year model. Engine oil consumption was the biggest culprit, followed closely by a poor-functioning stability system and a poor-quality dashboard that cracked easily.

4 Pontiac G6

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Sharing a platform with the Malibu and the Cadillac CTS, the Pontiac G6 was yet another mid-size sedan in the GM fleet. Sales were strong for the G6, selling over 140,000 units in the first five years, which was closely matched by the Malibu. It wasn't given enough time to live up to the hype given that GM folded the entire Pontiac brand in 2010.

There were four more recalls. The first was due to poorly fitted seats resulting in airbag sensors failing to detect occupancy. The second impacted brake wiring, while the final two recalls were associated with a large-scale transmission problem for the overall brand.

3 Pontiac Grand Am

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Before the G6 came the Pontiac Grand Am, a car with a very long history with Pontiac that goes back nearly 50 years. Pontiac's marketing department cleverly coined the vehicle's name by adopting the words "Grand" from the Pontiac Grand Prix and "Am" from the Pontiac Trans Am. The on-again and off-again Grand Am sold in spurts from 1973 to 1975, again from 1978 to 1980, and again from 1985 to 2005.

Especially in its final years, the Grand Am had many problems reported, including ignition failure, leaking coolant, cracked intake manifolds, and cooling problems due to system leaks and overheating. Fortunately, GM will still service Pontiacs; however, a knowledgeable technician is hard to come by.

2 Saturn Ion

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Not many customers have a fond memory of the Saturn brand, and despite its 25-year history, it didn't really offer too many mainstream vehicles in its lineup. While the final model lineup offered far better vehicles than its predecessors, it was too late for the brand. The Saturn Ion was one such vehicle, a compact car, arguably one of the largest on sale in the U.S., stretching to 185 inches in length. By comparison, the Toyota Corolla and Civic barely manage 170 inches.

Despite the Ion's short 5-year history, the car had plenty of problems centered on the ignition, from a failure to shut off to keys getting stuck. The faulty ignition even required a safety recall due to 13 deaths caused by the defect.

1 Saturn VUE

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Another Saturn vehicle with a short history was the VUE, a compact SUV that became the brand's top seller across the continent. Sales in the U.S. alone were averaging a healthy 85,000 units per year. The VUE barely made it to its second generation in 2008 when the brand shut down in 2010.

Key issues with the VUE were related to the transmission: a faulty clutch wave plate inside the transmission itself. Other smaller issues resulted in recalls for loss of steering and the improper latching of doors resulting in doors opening unexpectedly. Perhaps with more time, the Saturn VUE could've impressed the market, but it wasn't meant to be.