What it takes to design, build, and ship a car is no small venture. It's a laborious process that even carmakers who possess state-of-the-art factories and dedicated employees have to put a lot of care and thought into. Even the burgeoning and beloved Tesla has been in the throes of delivering their first mass-produced car, the Model 3, for over a year now. Automakers deserve a lot of respect and admiration for braving one of the world's biggest industries.
Why does it take bravery? Anywhere along the way, during the process, something could go wrong. If it's not caught and the car—or several cars, for that matter—get shipped, then it could cost the automaker big time. That's the gamble of making cars. With so many details and parts going into making a vehicle, there are just as many liabilities when it gets to a customer.
Throughout history, there have been plenty of automaker boo-boos. None of these companies are perfect. Mistakes happen, and cars get shipped with faulty parts or skip an important part in the process. And when they do, there are several actions that usually follow. Typically, an automaker issues a recall, often at no extra charge to the clients. If it's a really bad situation that offends or puts lives at risk, then an automaker has to step up and apologize. These are the automakers that made mistakes, the cars involved in the incidents, and the ultimate apology that resulted from them. While these weren't the finest moments for these carmakers that are household names, they at least managed to set the record straight on their creations.
20 Acura NSX
On the surface, Acura's Super Bowl commercial appears harmless. It features famous comedian Jerry Seinfeld who speaks to a car salesman at the beginning of the ad. What rubbed people the wrong way, according to The Pittsburgh Courier, was the drama behind the scenes of the commercial. As many know, each commercial or spot has a casting call sheet where they provide details of what they want each part or actor to look like. For the car salesman, they were a little too specific about what tone the man's skin color should be and what it shouldn't be. Acura apologized once the public found out.
19 Chevrolet Corvair
The Chevy Corvair's shortcomings are one of the most widely publicized faults in the industry's history. Before he became a presidential candidate, according to the New York Times, Ralph Nader wrote a book called "Unsafe At Any Speed." From the start of the book, Nader exposed an issue in the '60-'63 Corvairs' suspensions that could lead to serious injuries for the driver and passengers. The story only gets more dramatic from there, with reports that GM had private investigators on Nader's tail for what he wrote. In the end, though, GM made the right decision and apologized to restore a level of credibility.
18 Volkswagen Jetta
One of the bigger public issues involving a major automaker, Volkswagen, happened just a couple of years ago.
According to CBS News, the emission tests conducted on several vehicles had some problems. One of their more popular models affected was the 2009-2015 Jettas.
While the situation didn't reflect the best on the German automaker—which happens to be a household name around the world—they did apologize for what happened. The Verge reports that Volkswagen, extending more than just a public apology, even handed out $500 Visa gift cards to the owners of cars affected. While it’s impossible to go back in time to fix mistakes, Volkswagen made amends.
17 Saturn Ion
There comes a point when disaster strikes for a major business. They admit defeat and genuflect towards the public for their wrongs. The 2003 Saturn Ion and many other GM vehicles, according to the Los Angeles Times, were part of a massive recall for the ignition switches. Not only were many cars affected, but it led to 31 crashes with many serious injuries reported. The first stem GM took was recognizing that the issue existed. Once they admitted there was a problem, they apologized for the flaw in their vehicles. It was necessary for GM to do this, considering all that had happened.
16 Mercedes-Benz SL
Mercedes-Benz went a little too far when they promoted a new feature in their cars back in 2012. Coming equipped in their SL models, according to CBS News, was CarTogether, a way for people to share cars. It's a revolutionary idea that got the marketing team wondering, "What historical figure could we associate with our brand?" Their decision to use Che Guevara didn't land well with the public, though, due to his political background. After showing off this new ad campaign during a keynote presentation, U.S. News reports that Mercedes-Benz issued an apology. While the car itself wasn't to blame, its image is now associated with a polarizing figure.
15 Fiat Lancia Delta
Plenty of carmakers get high-profile celebrities to promote their lineup of vehicles. It helps give some credibility to the brand and, potentially, attract new buyers who are fans of said celebrity. That's what Fiat went for when they locked Richard Gere in an ad that showed off the Lancia Delta. The ad ended up rubbing the public in China the wrong way, though, which according to Variety, led Fiat to issue an apology. While the ad might seem harmless on the surface, the topic has the potential to split viewers. Although Fiat stood by the ad initially, they ended up doing a 180 on their stance by apologizing.
14 Subaru WRX S4
As is the case with several of these indiscretions, there are a few vehicles affected by a carmaker's shortcomings. In this instance, reports Torque News, the Subaru WRX S4 was one such model that the automaker admitted to taking some shortcuts with in their safety inspections. Limited only to Subarus in Japan, the automaker offered inspections in the hopes of remedying their error. The company also officially apologized for the mistake they made, which is hard for a major corporation to do. It's never easy to admit to wrongs, especially when the one admitting them is a major automaker whose public-facing image is important.
13 Dodge Nitro
If not handled right, an ad can offend or alienate an entire group of people. One particular ad released for the Dodge Nitro will appear funny to few. According to Ad Age, a dog suffers a grueling fate after it takes a leak on the Nitro's wheels. While ads are often extreme in order to get consumers' attention, many thought Chrysler went too far. As a result, the famous carmaker tried to make amends with the public by issuing an apology. Even if nothing happened to the dog in real life, it's an ad that really pushes the envelope.
12 BMW 520d
BMW came under fire when their engines caught on fire. According to Just-Auto, BMW's division in South Korea issued an apology for what happened earlier this year.
There's been a report of BMW cars, such as the 520d, which the source lists, catching on fire. As is typical for automakers in this situation, a recall has gone out. It appears to be a problem with how gas circulates throughout the engine.
One can only hope they find a quick and painless resolution to this, as South Korean BMW owners are probably a little worried about their cars at this point.
11 Hyundai IX35
Many times, a carmaker runs an ad or a marketing campaign that doesn't sit well with the public. Back in 2013, Hyundai found themselves in deep water for an ad that aired in the United Kingdom. It showed a driver going off the deep end. Since the ad portrayed a sensitive condition many people struggle with around the world, it didn’t go off so well to treat such a serious issue lightly. Ad Age reports that Hyundai apologized. By then, the ad had already gone viral, but Hyundai sympathized with the general public. They acted right away and apologized to make amends.
10 Alfa Romeo 4C
Years after the dog ad offended the public, Fiat-Chrysler was back with more to stir the pot. Autoblog reports that Fiat-Chrysler's CEO used what many call a derogatory term when describing the Alfa Romeo 4C's engine. Understandably, the public thought the CEO crossed the line with his comments.
The Alfa Romeo 4C has the misfortune of being tied to this controversy since it occurred in 2013. The CEO, speaking directly to the Italian American ONE VOICE Coalition, recognized his fault for what he had said about the Alfa Romeo 4C and did apologize for it. While automakers are prone to mistakes, it's the apology that matters.
9 Mercedes-Benz AMG
Che Guevara wasn't the only marketing decision Mercedes-Benz many people found questionable. This time, however, they used a quote from the Dalai Lama. According to Lion's Roar, the quote accompanied an image of their AMG GLA model and posted to Instagram. Mercedes-Benz ended up taking it down and going even further to make amends. They even went so far as to write an apology to China's ambassador in Germany. Whether Mercedes-Benz intended to convey their stance through the quote or not, it's important to consider all possibilities when posting an ad. Otherwise, the public may not react in an agreeable way.
8 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
There's a special relationship automakers have with car reviewers. They usually loan out a car so that reviewers and online websites can give an honest assessment. That all didn't go according to plan with the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, though. NESN reports that the Giulia Quadrifoglio borrowed by Road & Track for their review had some major issues. According to the source, it couldn't even make a lap without the dashboard conducting a worrisome light show. It certainly doesn't reflect well on this major automaker to send faulty vehicles to its reviewers. The good news is that Alfa Romeo apologized for the incident.
7 Audi A6
Ads outside of America tend to get away with more. They're able to push the envelope more than marketers in the States. There still exists limits, however. According to USA Today, Audi released an ad in China that painted women in a negative light. Intended to be comedic, the ad fell flat with the public. As a result, Audi apologized for making the ad. It doesn't help that an Audi A6 features in the ad towards the end. It creates an association with one of Audi's cars that likely doesn't benefit sales. At least Audi took the time to admit their error.
6 Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen has come under fire in recent years. One of the issues came about due to research they did involving harmful tests. According to National Geographic, a lab put 10 monkeys in a chamber while letting in exhaust fumes from a Volkswagen Beetle. The report goes on to say that Volkswagen had the tests done in the United States back in 2014. The Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute conducted the tests. It didn't look good for Volkswagen approving tests like this, regardless of whether someone is an animal rights activist or not. Thankfully, Volkswagen apologized and said they wouldn't turn to animals for their experiments for tests going forward.
5 Chevrolet Volt
Chevrolet doesn't exactly apologize for their Volt outright, but some are interpreting it as such.
For a time, the Chevrolet Volt tagline was "It's More Car Than Electric," but it rubbed some the wrong way.
According to ADCO, Chevrolet's ad supposedly sounds like the major automaker accepts the perception that electric cars aren't that great. As a result, they're evoking this sense in their ads—according to some opinions—that they're minimizing the electric half of the Volt while propping up the car half of it. Whether Chevy is apologizing for the Volt or not is up for speculation among car enthusiasts and average drivers alike.
4 Toyota Prius
The Toyota Prius is a successful and popular car among the automaker's vast lineup. A few years back, the Prius Hybrids had an issue of randomly shutting off while driving. According to VOA News, Toyota had to recall millions of their cars as a result. While it didn't make Toyota look very good, they did take necessary steps to salvage the public's image of them. Not only did the company apologize, but it also came from arguably the most important voice at Toyota: the founder's grandson. Toyota is one of the biggest and most trusted automakers today, but even they encounter missteps.
3 Ford Explorer
A forewarning: this next entry is a slight cheat. While a major company did have to apologize on behalf of the Ford Explorer, it wasn't Ford itself; instead, Firestone—who supplied the tires—had to be upfront with the public. According to The Washington Post, Bridgestone/Firestone came under fire back in 2000 when their tires were at fault for putting lives at risk. With tire defects equipped on the Ford Explorers, the company had to face Congress where an official apology was issued to the public. At the time, Bridgestone/Firestone was asked a lot of questions about their product and its safety.
2 Lexus Hybrid Drive Vehicles
Lexus really stuck it to EV vehicles across the globe—and as a result—paid the price. According to Autoblog, one of their ads didn't look too fondly on electric vehicles. The ad company wasn't afraid to pull out all the stops, pulling up stats and calling EV vehicles out. In the end, though, they ended up apologizing and removing the videos out of fear they turned many off. In the end, a company as big as Lexus has a wide range of customers. It makes sense they would pull the ads considering they have to appeal to the masses, which include EV owners.
1 Ford Figo
The Figo isn't the first Ford to appear on this list. Similar to Hyundai's error, Ford made an ad that rubbed people the wrong way. A series of ads didn't paint women in the most positive light. It certainly didn't help the Ford Figo's image to have the automobile at the center of the campaign. According to The Huffington Post, not only did Ford apologize for the ads, but the WPP Group—which helped create them—conveyed regret. Taking the ads down, both companies took swift action following the public's outrage. At least the ads were only mockups and hadn't yet gone mainstream.
Sources:Torque News, New York Times, The Washington Post, National Geographic