NEWANDUSEDLEMON-AIDPhil Edmonston

1990-2016 NEW AND USED CARS AND TRUCKS

LEMON-AIDPhil Edm

onston

C A N A D A’ S U LT I M AT E A U T O G U I D E ( 4 4 th E D I T I O N ) 1 . 8 M I L L I O N C O P I E S S O L D

1990-2016

VW Diesel Deception: What to Do Hundreds of “Secret” Warranties Market Timing: Buy, Sell, or Hold? Save $10,000-$15,000 on Vans, Trucks, and SUVs Best/Safe Buys for Students and Seniors Recourses and Refunds—Sample Letters

Cheap Fuel: Gas-Guzzlers In; Fuel-Sippers Out Best/Worst—1990-2016 Models

CARSANDTRUCKSTired of getting ripped off? Buy Phil’s Art of Complaining, a $16.99 first-aid kit for smart consumers. Found in most bookstores or at Dundurn.com. Complain if it’s not available.

$32.99 £22.99

“Lemon-Aid… is one of the most valuable [guides] of its kind because it includes information on secret warranties and confidential service bulletins that most owners aren’t aware of and most automakers want to keep that way.” —The New York Times

Secret Warranties / Internal Bulletins Safety Summary Tough, honest ratings and fair prices

Production Team: Heidy Lawrance, Kim Monteforte, Beth Crane, and Catherine Leek

Illustrator: Rachel Rosen

The “Last Ride”

Ford’s Fusion: A “Jekyll-Hyde” Bad Buy GM’s Silverado: Overpriced, but still worth it

After 45 years and almost two million copies sold, this is Phil’s last annual Lemon-Aid — and it’s as tough as ever. Edmonston is a former Member of Parliament, and a board member of Quebec’s Bar Association and Consumers Union. He has won many battles for consumers on picket lines and before the Supreme Court.

The 2016 Lemon-Aid has everything: an encyclopedic lineup of the best and worst cars, trucks, and SUVs sold since 1970; a list of the best and worst automaker presidents Phil has worked with, or been sued by; a collection of the worst auto buys of all time; jurisprudence to get your money back; and new-car buying tips that save you tons

of money where lower fuel prices have forced major price cuts on popular models. It is an essential guide for first-time buyers and a fun gift to smart-aleck gearheads who don’t know half as much as they think they do.

ISBN 978-1-4597325-7-5

LEMON-AID

USED

Phil Edmonston

1990-2016

CARS TRUCKS

Copyright © Les Editions Edmonston, 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except for brief passages for purposes of review) without the prior permission

of Dundurn Press. Permission to photocopy should be requested from Access Copyright.

Editor: Catherine Leek of Green Onion PublishingDesign: Kim Monteforte of WeMakeBooks.com

Printer: Webcom

ISBN: 978-1-45973-257-5 (pb)ISBN: 978-1-45973-258-2 (pdf)

ISBN: 978-1-45973-259-9 (epub)

1 2 3 4 5 19 18 17 16 15

an Ontario government agencyun organisme du gouvernement de l’Ontario

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund and Livres

Canada Books, and the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Book

Publishing Tax Credit and the Ontario Media Development Corporation.

Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author and the publisher welcome any information enabling

them to rectify any references or credits in subsequent editions.

J. Kirk Howard, President

The publisher is not responsible for websites or their content unless they are owned by the publisher.

Printed and bound in Canada.

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M5E 1M2

iii

CONTENTS

IntroductionA YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY 1Road Kill 2Henry Ford: Auto Consumer

Advocate? 3What You Don’t Know Can

Hurt You 4Lemon-Aid’s “Last Ride” 8

Part One CHEAP GAS AND COSTLIER CARS 11Gas Pump Bump 11

More Choice, Better Deals 12

15 Buying Tips 14

Which New Car, Truck, SUV, or Van 20

When and Where to Buy 27

“Fleecing” by Leasing 30

Buying the Right Car or Truck 32

Safety 35

High Tech Takes the Wheel 39

Safety Features that Kill 45

Comfort 48

Cars for Seniors 48

Other Buying Considerations 55

Choosing a Reliable, Cheap Vehicle 61

Cutting Costs 66

“Hidden” Costs 71

Surviving the Options Jungle 75

Must-Have Options 75

Unnecessary Options 87

Cutting the Price 91

Getting a Fair Price 92

Cash Versus Financing 97

The Contract 100

Selling Your Trade-In 102

Summary 105

Part Two OLD WHEELS: WHAT’S HOT, WHAT’S NOT 1072015 Used Cars – A “Bumper” Crop 108

Used Is the Smart Choice 109

Luxury Lemons 124

Five Decades of Hits and Misses 125

Safety First 130

When and Where to Buy 131

Buying with Confidence 132

Don’t Pay Too Much 136

Financing Choices 143

Dealer Scams 146

Private Scams 151

Summary: Be Tough and Fair 152

Part Three RECOURSES AND REFUNDS 155Don’t Just Grumble 156

Two Warranties 159

Supplementary Warranty Scams 162

Supreme Court Tackles “Fine Print” 164

Broken Promises 167

The Art of Complaining 171

Using Government Agencies 176

Seek Outside Help 176

Contact the Right People 180

15 Legal “Tips” Lawyers Know 180

Key Court Decisions 195

Cases to Consider 197

Unsafe Vehicles 216

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Part Four 1990-2016 RATINGS “WHEN GOOD CARS GO BAD” 221Going “Car-Less” 222

2015-16: A “Perfect Storm” for Buyers 223

Five Ways to Get a “Good” Car 224

Narrowing Down the Choices 225

South Korea: Soaring; Japan: Snoring 227

Don’t Believe in the “Fuel Fairy” 230

Take Advantage of Depreciation 231

How Lemon-Aid Picks the “Best” and “Worst” 232

Definition of Terms 235

American Models 247American Car Quality 248

Fiat Chrysler/Jeep: Mama Mia! 248

Ford 251

General Motors 255

FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOBILES 261200/Avenger/Sebring 261

Charger/Challenger 264

300, 300C/Mangum 267

Caravan, Grand Caravan/Town & Country 270

Dodge Durango 273

Dodge Ram 1500/2500/3500 277

JEEP 281Renegade 282

Wrangler 283

Grand Cherokee 287

FORD 291Fiesta 295

Focus 299

Fusion/Lincoln MKZ 303

Mustang 307

Edge/Lincoln MKX 312

Flex 316

Escape 320

Explorer 324

F-150 Pickup 328

GENERAL MOTORS 334Spark/Spark EV 337

Sonic 340

Cruze 343

Malibu/Hybrid 350

Impala/Allure, Lacrosse/ Lucerne 355

Camaro 361

Corvette 364

Cadillac CTS 369

Equinox/Terrain 373

Acadia/Enclave/Traverse 376

Escalade/Suburban/Tahoe/Yukon/Hybrid 379

Silverado/Sierra 384

Asians and Auto Safety 390ACURA 391

MDX 392

HONDA 395Fit 397

Civic 400

HR-V 405

CR-V 408

Accord/Crosstour/Hybrid 411

Odyssey 417

Pilot 422

Ridgeline 426

HYUNDAI 428Accent 432

Elantra/Touring 435

Sonata/Hybrid 438

Genesis Coupe, Sedan 441

Tucson 444

Santa Fe/Hybrid 447

INFINITI 450G25/G35/G37 451

EX35 455

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KIA 457Rio/Rio5 458

Soul 460

Forte 5/Forte Koupe 463

Optima/Hybrid 466

Sportage 470

Sorento 472

LEXUS 477ES 300/330/350/300h 479

IS 482

RX 300, 330, 350/400h, 450h 384

MAZDA 490Mazda3 491

Mazda5 496

Mazda 626/Mazda6 498

Miata MX-5 501

CX-5/CX-7/CX-9 504

MITSUBISHI 508NISSAN 509

Versa/Note 511

Sentra 514

Altima 517

Maxima 522

Rogue 525

Murano 528

Frontier 532

SUBARU 534Forester/Impreza/WRX, STI 535

Legacy/Outback 541

SUZUKI 545TOYOTA 546

Yaris 549

Corolla/Matrix/Vibe 552

Camry 557

Prius 561

Avalon 567

Sienna 570

RAV4 575

Venza 578

Highlander 581

Tacoma 583

European Vehicles 588AUDI 591

A3 592

A4/S4 596

A6/S6/R8 602

TT/TTS/TT RS 605

BMW 6083 Series/M Series 612

5 Series X1/X3/X5/X6 617

MERCEDES-BENZ 624B-Class 628

C-Class 630

E-Class 635

VOLKSWAGEN 639Jetta/Golf 644

Passat 651

Appendix 1990-2017 REVIEWS AND PREVIEWS 657Back to the Future 658

Best Vehicles for Students, Families, and Seniors 659

Choosing the Right Car or Truck 660

European Imports 661

Not Recommended/Unrated European Models 662

Other Choices 665

Audi A4 Allroad 665

Acura ILX 665

Acura RL 665

Acura RLX 665

Acura NSX 665

Acura Q3 666

Acura Q5 666

Acura Q7 666

BMW 1 Series 666

BMW i3 667

BMW X1 667

BMW X3 667

BMW X4 667

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BMW 5 Series 667

BMW Mini Cooper 668

Buick Encore 668

Buick Verano 668

Cadillac ATS 668

Cadillac DTS 669

Cadillac SRX 669

Cadillac ELR 669

Cadillac STS 669

Chevrolet Colorado/Canyon 669

Chevrolet Express/Savana 670

Chevrolet HHR 670

Chevrolet Orlando 670

Chevrolet Spark 670

Chevrolet Volt 671

Chrysler/Dodge 100 672

Chrysler/Dodge Dart 672

Chrysler/Dodge Durango 672

Fiat 500 672

Ford C-Max Hybrid Energi 673

Ford Econoline, E-Series 673

Ford Expedition 673

Ford Taurus 673

Ford Transit Connect 674

Honda CR-Z Hybrid 674

Honda Insight 674

Hyundai Equus 674

Hyundai Veloster 675

Jaguar F-Type Roadster 675

Jeep Journey 675

Jeep Liberty 675

Jeep Patriot 676

Kia Borrego 676

Kia K900 676

Kia Cadenza 676

Kia Rondo 677

Lexus CT 200h 677

Lexus 200t/300h 677

Lincoln MKC 678

Mazda2 678

Mercedes-Benz ML 350 678

Mercedes-Benz Smart 678

Mitsubishi Mirage 679

Nissan Cube 679

Nissan Juke 680

Nissan Leaf 680

NV (Nissan Van) 681

Nissan 370Z, GT-R 681

Nissan Pathfinder 681

Nissan Titan 682

Nissan Xterra 682

Porsche Boxter and 911 682

Subaru Tribeca 683

Suzuki Kizashi 683

Tesla Model S and Model X 684

Toyota FJ Cruiser 685

Toyota Solara 685

Toyota Tundra 685

Volkswagen The “New” New Beetle 686

Volkswagen Eos 686

Volkswagen Touareg 687

Phil’s “Beater” Beat 1970+ 687

Beaters You Will Love 688

Acura Vigor 688

Acura Legend (1989-95) 689

Chrysler Dart, Valiant, Duster, Scamp, Diplomat, Caravelle, Newport, Rear-Drive New Yorker Fifth Avenue, and Gran Fury 689

Chrysler Stealth 689

Ford Maverick, Comet, Fairmont, Zephyr, Tracer, (1964-2004) Mustang, Capri, Cougar, Thunderbird V6, Torino, Marquis, Grand Marquis, LTD, and LTD Crown Victoria 689

Ford Probe (1990-97) 689

General Motors 1982-96 Caprice, Impala SS, and Roadmaster 690

General Motors Brougham and Fleetwood 690

General Motors Sunbird and Cavalier 690

Honda CRX (1984-91) 690

Honda Prelude (1985-2001) 691

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Mazda MX-3 (1992-96) 691

Toyota Le Van 691

Toyota Supra 691

Toyota Celica (1999-2005) 692

Toyota (1991-99) Tercel and Paseo 692

New and Used Car Checklist 693

Appendix II HOMEMADE LEMON-AID 695Negotiating Prices 696

Other Helpful Websites 698

Appendix IIIINFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 703

MODEL INDEX 707

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ixix

KEY DOCUMENTS

IntroductionA YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY2003-06 GM Service Bulletin –

inadvertent turning of key cylinder, loss of electrical system and no DTCs warranty extension 4

2006-07 GM catalytic converter warranty extension 5

2006-08 Honda Special Coverage Adjustment – engine block warranty extension 6

2004 and 2007 Toyota Dealer Bulletin – power sliding door cable assembly warranty extension 7

Part OneCHEAP GAS AND COSTLIER CARS2015-16 Models: New, Upgraded,

Dropped 13

How Many Miles Until a Hybrid Pays for Itself? 15

Vehicles Return on Investment 16

What’s the Cost of an Electric Vehicle per Mile of Range? 17

2007-2010 – Nissan CVT customer satisfaction program 19

2003 Ford Flex Technical Service Bulletins 24

NHTSA’s 2012 Ford Fiesta complaint log on safercar.gov 36

Top 10 Cars – Most Complaints/Most Recalls Since 1995 47

Good “Senior” Car Choices 53

2012 Chevrolet Malibu Technical Service Bulletins 67

2014 Chevrolet Malibu shift clunk noise information 69

The Top 10 Most Frequently Stolen Vehicles Across Canada 77

Additional Contract Clauses 101

Part TwoOLD WHEELS: WHAT’S HOT, WHAT’S NOTSecret Warranty Roundup 110

Toyota extended warranty – durability benchmark 116

Comparing Insurance Company Rates 119

GTA Insurance Rates vs. Ontario Average 120

Top 10 Cars – Most Complaints/Most Recalls Since 1995 127

Bill of Sale 133

Eight-Year Car Loan Worksheet 144

Toyota Certified Used Vehicle Rates 145

Part ThreeRECOURSES AND REFUNDS2006-13 Honda Civic paint chalking,

cracking, or cloudy 155

Secret Warranty – sample 159

Supplementary Auto Warranty – sample 162

Vehicle Service Contract Claims graph 164

Reasonable Parts Durability chart 169

Complaint Letters – samples 173

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Claim Limits for Small Claims Courts 186

GM Ignition Recall 217

Part Four1990-2016 RATINGS “WHEN GOOD CARS GO BAD”U.S. Views on Honesty and Ethical

Standards in Professions 222

Best-Selling 2015 Cars, SUV/Crossovers, Trucks, Minivans, Commercial Vans 225

5-Year ACSI Trend – Domestic and International Automobiles 229

Residual Values – 2015 Sampling of Vehicles 231

Current Latch Ratings 239

Value of Options by Model Year 242

American Models 247Top Safety Picks for 2015 by

IIHS 257

Chrysler fuel spit back 276

2008-11 Ford paint degradation/road abrasion 291

2010-12 Ford Sync(R) – unable to locate vehicle, GPS issues 293

2011-14 Ford excessive transmission clutch shudder and/or automatic transmission fluid leak 298

2011-14 Ford rear axle vent – oil leak 311

2009-11 Ford transmission – slip/neutral out – 5th gear start from stop – backup camera on in drive 319

2011-14 Ford delayed engagement park to forward or reverse 334

GM Letter to customers re: OnStar system 336

2013-14 GM A/C cooling issues 340

2007-15 GM “sag or hesitation” on acceleration – normal 345

2011-14 GM low engine coolant level without an external leak 348

2012-14 GM excessive oil consumption – oil leaks – blue exhaust smoke – MIL – or fuel trim codes 348

2013 GM steering clunk no power assist 349

2014 GM water leak – rear glass 349

2014 GM wet carpet on driver’s side 350

2010-14 GM power steering stick-slip 353

2011-15 GM front seat lateral movement, clunk, squeak, click noise or shift while cornering 354

2013-14 GM bearing damaged or engine will not rotate 354

2014 GM information on 2-3 upshift or 3-2 downshift clunk noise 359

2014 GM tail lamp gasket seal 360

2008-09 GM convertible top cover separation 368

2007-13 Cadillac clunk noise after shifting from reverse to drive or drive to reverse and then accelerating 372

2012-13 Cadillac crankshaft rear oil seal – oil leaks 372

2010-14 GM power steering stick-slip 375

2010-15 GM steering shudder (vibration) during slow speed maneuvers 376

2008-12 GM electrical – engine won’t shut off/electrical issues 379

2007-14 GM engine oil consumption on aluminum block/iron engines with active fuel management 383

2014 GM shift lever contacts ignition key 389

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Asians and Auto Safety 3902007-11 Acura torque converter

warranty extension 392

2008-12 Honda high oil consumption – faulty engine rings 416

Honda engine ticking or knocking at idle 422

Kia steering/suspension – pull or drift concern 476

2007-14 Lexus HVAC evaporator drain hose clogged due to insect intrusion 489

2007-12 Nissan engine – oil leak from upper end of oil cooler 517

2007-12 Nissan brake master cylinder 520

Nissan rear suspension member, bushing replacement 522

2009 Nissan L/H rear suspension knuckle 525

2014 Nissan campaign #PC311 to replace engine on/off push button 528

2003-12 Nissan grinding/knocking noise from rear on turns 528

2010-12 Nissan navigation system – screen goes blank 531

2004-14 Toyota noxious AC Odours 574

2005-14 Toyota driveline vibration 587

European Vehicles 588Audi Warranty Extension – intake

camshaft, camshaft follower & high pressure fuel pump 591

Audi no start/runs rough, or excess moisture in the intake piping 596

2007-15 Audi electrical – harness damage from animal bites 601

BMW engine whistling, hooting, or squealing noise 617

BMW oil leak from transfer case 623

Luxury/European Canada Car Sales (2015) 641

2011-12 Volkswagen intake manifold & fuel injectors 650

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Washington, May 14, 2014: “General Motors will pay $35 million to settle a federal probe into its 10-year delay of recalls related to an ignition switch flaw (time.com/102906/gm-fine-ignition-recalls/). Ottawa, December 31, 2014: “To date, Transport Canada has no evidence to suggest GM Canada failed to comply with its legal obligations in Canada,” ministry spokeswoman Lauren Armstrong said in an email. “Should evidence show

that GM or any other company did not issue a notice once becoming aware of a defect, Transport Canada will not hesitate to prosecute.” (business.financialpost.com/2014/12/30/in-2014-recall-crisis-no-punishment-for-canadian-automakers/).

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1

Introduction

A YEAR OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY

Pathetic. Transport Canada has NO recall powers, Environment Canada sleeps while

Volkswagen cheats on emissions tests with diesels that poison our lungs with excess

NOx fumes (See Part 4, European Vehicles, Volkswagen) and our government adopts

the “Mike Duffy-Sgt. Schultz defense:” “I see nothing, I know nothing.”

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Road KillGo ahead, choose your poison: 30.4 million GM cars using poorly-designed, “deadly” ignition switches (50% recalled, leaving 15.2 million to maim and kill); Toyota and Honda with detonators that spew out shrapnel making sashimi of your face and throat; or 2007-15 Chrysler/Jeeps that stall out, lose steering and brakes, and disable their airbags. These are all real dangers making 2014 a record year for safety-related recalls, not due so much to assembly line mistakes, but as a direct consequence of factory cost-cutting run wild, bad engineering, and poor design. Worst of all, 30% of the affected vehicles will never get fixed.

The biggest recall last year was GM’s ignition failures that have cost the com-pany over a $4.6 billion U.S. and allegedly led to 23 deaths (two deaths in Canada) and hundreds of injuries. A Canadian class action has been filed in Ontario (www.

gmclassactionsuit.ca). The fix rate for this safety defect is only 56% despite massive publicity given to the hazard.

This recall would not have happened if GM had replaced the ignitions ten years ago when first alerted to the defect. The payout would have been $37.7 mil-lion, according to confidential General Motors documents released by the U.S. Congress. The cheaper $14.2 million repair that GM authorized saved the company $23.5 million—a savings that has ballooned into a loss of almost $5 billion.

GM’s dangerous ignition switches and the company’s coverup are the latest confirmation that automakers will deliberately manufacture a vehicle that will kill or maim simply because, in the long run, it costs less to stonewall complaints and pay off victims than to make a safer vehicle.

I first learned this lesson after reading the court transcripts of Grimshaw v.

Ford (fire-prone Pintos) from 1981. Reporter Anthony Prince wrote the following assessment of Ford’s indifference in an article titled “Lessons of the Ford/Firestone scandal: Profit motive turns consumers into road kill,” People’s Tribune (Online Edition), Vol. 26, No. 11, November 2000:

Rejecting safety designs costing between only $1.80 and $15.30 per Pinto, Ford had calcu-lated the damages it would likely pay in wrongful death and injury cases and pocketed the difference. In a cold and calculating “costs/benefits” analysis, Ford projected that the Pinto would probably cause 180 burn deaths, 180 serious burn injuries, [and] 2,100 burned vehicles each year. Also, Ford estimated civil suits of $200,000 per death, $67,000 per injury, [and] $700 per vehicle for a grand total of $49.5 million. The costs for installing safety features would cost approximately $137 million per year. As a result, the Pinto became a moving target, its unguarded fuel tank subject to rupture by exposed differential bolts shoved into it by rear-end collisions at speeds of as little as 21 miles per hour [34 km/h]. Spewing gasoline into the passenger compartment, the car and its passengers became engulfed in a raging inferno.

And here are more recent examples of corporate greed triumphing over pub-lic safety: 35 million vehicles worldwide equipped with “grenading” Takata-made air-bag inflaters used by 10 automakers since 2008; 16 million defective Ford