In the brutal arena of 2025 automotive woes, two titans stand out as the ultimate garage magnets: General Motors (GM) and Stellantis. These behemoths churn out vehicles so riddled with gremlins that repair shops are practically printing money. Forget fuel efficiency debates— we're talking breakdowns that turn family haulers into lawn ornaments. Buckle up as we dissect the drama behind Chevy's Equinox and Traverse, plus Stellantis' parade of lemons from Jeep to Dodge.
Start with GM's crossover culprits. The 2025 Chevrolet Equinox, billed as an affordable daily driver, is leaking like a sieve from day one. Owners report transmission fluid gushing from faulty seals, with mechanics swapping parts only to uncover fresh oil slicks under the hood. It's a vicious cycle: fix one leak, birth another. Worse, the redesigned Traverse—a three-row behemoth—has owners fuming over engine coolant hemorrhages. Radiators and hoses fail spectacularly, stranding families with dash warnings and month-long parts waits. Add in coarse turbo engines that wheeze like asthmatic blenders, mushy brakes, and phantom electrical gremlins triggering check-engine lights, and you've got a recipe for endless shop visits. Forums buzz with tales of buybacks and second chances gone sour, proving GM's "bold redesigns" are more curse than cure.
Then there's Stellantis, the merger mess formerly known as Fiat-Chrysler, hemorrhaging $2.7 billion in H1 2025 amid plunging sales. A staggering 610,000+ vehicles—Jeeps, Dodges, Chryslers—face recalls for hybrid power blackouts, airbag no-shows, and rollaway roulette. Jeep's "death wobble" persists, shaking Wranglers into oblivion, while software updates brick UConnect systems, killing power mid-drive. Dodge sales cratered 49%, with Durangos guzzling oil like it's free. Consumer Reports ranks Jeep dead last, Chrysler scraping the barrel—hybrids aside, these rides are reliability roadkill.
Why the plague? Rushed redesigns, supply snarls, and EV pivots gone awry. Garages thrive on these offenders, but buyers beware: in 2025, reliability isn't a feature—it's a luxury. Opt for Toyota or Subaru, or risk funding the next mechanic's yacht.
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