Why do American-made cars have so many problems?

Answer 1

i've gone through about 25 vehicles in my life, (american and others) and in my experiences they don't.

Answer 2

First, you need to understand that traditional definitions of "American" and "Japanese" made cars are no longer correct. ALL Japanese car companies have manufacturing plants in the United States and use some American parts--because, in the 1990's, the United States increased tarrifs on import cars shipped in from overseas, so it became cheaper to assemble them here, at the point of sale. In addition, American car companies have all outsourced their labor to Canada and Mexico, which has far cheaper labor rates, and they don't have to pay tarrifs to ship the cars back into the United States once they are assembled. So, Japanese brand cars are actually more "American" than American brand cars. That wasn't the case 20 years ago, BUT IT IS THE CASE NOW. Also, Japanese comanies are traded on American stock markets, so the idea that only the Japanese profit from Japanese car sales is faulty--many American investors profit from the sale of Japanese cars.

Now, why are Japanese cars more reliable? Simple, really. From the very first mass produced American car (the Model T) through the late 1970's, American cars reigned supreme in the United States. There was simply no competition to speak of. But, during the gas crunch of the early 80's, Japanese cars came on the scene and sold enormous amounts of cars, to the shock and surprise of the spoiled American auto-makers. The Japanese had been focusing on efficiency, gas mileage, and quality for many years, while American cars were floundering and lagging far behind. By the time the American auto-makers realized they had to innovate to be competitive again, they were already at a huge disadvantage. Slowly but surely, American auto-makers are catching up, narrowing the gap, but they still haven't completely compensated for that sluggish period in the 1980's when Japanese cars were far and away the better option.

Answer 3

I was a technician for both Toyota and Chrysler. I have to say the quality was just better in the Toyota. I own both a Dodge and Toyota. Even though the Toyota has 207,000 and the Dodge 78,000. The Toyota has held together longer. I think a lot of it has to do with the way the interior of the car is held together. Toyota uses lots of small bolts and some sheet metal screws. Dodge, on the other hand, is held together almost entirely of sheet metal screws and they tend to back out over time. That gives it a "loose" sound and it rattles a lot. Of course you pay more for a Toyota but it has a higher resale too..

Answer 4

American business culture is all about quarterly profits, maximizing profits upfront and not thinking long term

Japanese and to some extent Europeans are less worried about the sales of the month and focused on longer term solutions. So they invest more, make less money on each car, but win loyalty and market share.

On a specific level America n cars have more parts than Japanese so more things can go wrong with them

Answer 5

It is not just American made cars that have problems. In all fairness, a lot of the "American made" cars have parts made & somtimes assembled in other countries!! I think foreign made cars are still good cars but they have their share of issues too.

Answer 6

auto makers are very picky

i work in a factory that makes headlights for allot of different cars...Toyota's Nissan's Honda and ford saturn and even harley

all are treated the same nit picky way. this plant is jap owned and ran this way to send out the best parts possible.

so called amercian car markers are behind but catching up.

i say so called cause toyotas are made here in the us as are alot of so called forein cars

Answer 7

My theory is b/c the big 3 are american which means they want to save money therefore we do things the cheaper way to make more profit. Everything comes down to YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. When I drive my Lexus then hop in my F150 the quality difference is ridiculous.

Answer 8

Because they are/were designed by narrow minded people.Gas guzzlers horrible fuel economy horrible built quality horrible aerodynamics the list is endless.They are sold only in the USA because no other country want that junk.CowboyBill's answer makes me laugh.Renault saved Nissan and now is going to save your General Motors from bankruptcy!

Answer 9

Its not the car its the person driving it making it have problems like not changing oil when suppose to or running it red line and spinning tires.

Answer 10

People take better care of their foreign cars for one thing.
My new Toyota was worse than all but one used American car I ever owned.