Pickups tend to be more of an American statement. Sure, other nations use them, but the United States has more as owners enjoy using a fine truck for hauling and just a good ride. Companies in the U.S. excel at top-notch offerings, especially from Ford to stand out as terrific machines. But some pickups aren’t the kind people would want to buy or even be seen in. It’s not just the looks as some ugly pickups can offer good performance.
The shame is that some bad trucks had the potential to be great offerings, but issues ranging from bad performance to low reliability to failed designs caused them to become the laughing stocks they are today. Granted, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but most agree these pickups are not among the best around. Here are ten American pickups we'd be embarrassed to be seen in, and these companies more embarrassed trying to sell.
10 2013 Ram 3500
The idea of a Ram 3500 put on the “avoid at all costs” lists seems crazy. But the 2013 model is proof even Dodge can make a bad Ram. At first, it worked fine with a strong engine and great hauling power.
Then the issues began piling in from engine to a suspension problem nicknamed “the death wobble.” Consumer Reports listed this as the worst pickup to buy from any company, so hard to imagine any owner boasting of owning this RAM.
9 Chevy Colorado
Residents of Colorado should be upset this truck is named after their state. A good Colorado can be a decent midsize truck with nice performance. The key problem is finding a good version.
The 2004/o5 models had problems from AC to engine lights failure. The 2004-11 models were recalled for issues that included faulty child seats. And the most recent 2020 models are slammed as poor in materials and weak power to boot. Only the desperate are willing to use a Colorado over much better offerings.
8 1972 Ford Courier
Some classic pickups have aged well, but the 1972 Ford Courier isn’t one of them. It was okay in its time but also a sign of the malaise era coming to the fore. The Courier was “no-frills,” which meant it was smaller, lighter, and underpowered than other trucks of the period.
Today, it seems even weaker, and while the fuel mileage is good, the unattractive appearance means the Courier isn’t tearing it up in junkyard finds.
7 Chevrolet Corvair 95 Rampside
Just...look at it. Now, some may claim it has "character" but that doesn't mean it's good. The Corvair 95 Rampside takes its cues from a VW which doesn't scream out "powerful truck." The entire design just looks like a child's toy rather than a powerful machine.
That's matched by the weak performance, only 80 hp and while the fold-down ramp (hence the name) is handy, it doesn't make up for the rough driving and how it feels riding in a throwaway shuttle taxi.
Related: 10 Pickups We'll Always Stay Away From
6 Dodge Dude
The reason the Dodge Dude is long-forgotten is complex. First, there’s the name, which sounds too much like a joke and hard to sound cool when you call your car “Dude.” Worse was that it added an unneeded trim to the already good D100 with tailgate and a hood for the bed.
Then there are the reliability issues as the truck did wrong what the D100 got right. Really, anyone who goes around boasting the “Dude” decals deserves all the ridicule they get.
5 Chevy SSR
It’s still baffling just what Chevy was going for with the SSR. A pickup convertible must have sounded good to someone, but no one has taken credit for it. As a regular convertible, it could have been a fun ride with over 300 hp for the baseline versions.
Trying to marry it with a pickup was a disaster as it was too weak for hauling and too bulky for an afternoon drive. It was an infamous flop that remains one of the weirdest ideas in GM’s history.
4 Lincoln Blackwood
It’s known as one of the biggest pickup flops of all time, but there was a nugget of a good idea behind the Lincoln Blackwood. A luxury pickup with a decent-sized engine and hauling power, the potential was there for success.
Then Lincoln ruined it with the idea of a trunk with carpeting. It threw the entire truck off and added to its rep as a horrible truck. It only lasted one year, and it’s hardly a significant grab for serious truck owners for that trunk alone.
3 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
A bad truck from Ford feels worse because of how great they usually are crafting them. That’s what makes the Explorer Sport Trac so bad. It looks too much like an SUV in the design to put some customers off, and the interiors matched.
The engine and hauling power were much lower than other Ford offerings or mid-size trucks of competitors. It was also unreliable to boot to make it a rare major whiff by Ford.
2 Dodge Ram Daytona
It’s the spoiler. In so many ways, a Dodge Ram Daytona is a good pickup with a fine engine, good hauling power, and reliability. But that terrible spoiler ruins it. The fact it can’t be removed means owners have to work harder to load anything, and that’s without its weak frame.
It’s a shame as the Daytona had all the ingredients to be a good pickup if Dodge had spent more time on performance more than looks. Instead, that spoiler mars the entire thing and looks dumb to drive.
1 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche
The Chevrolet Avalanche is an unfortunate case of a vehicle that lived up to its name in the wrong way. From the beginning, it had problems with poor cladding for the first models in 2002.
While that was improved, the later models had issues with the speedometers malfunctioning, transmission failures for the 2005 models, and the 2007 ones had excessive oil consumption. GM’s bankruptcy was the nail in the coffin for a truck that went downhill fast.