Why does GM keep producing such inferior cars?

Question

I bought a Pontiac (BIG MISTAKE), and the car has been in the shop 5 times. It had to be towed back to the dealer's the day after I got it. I had to replace the brakes at only 26,000 miles. GM's products are really inferior. The UAW seems to consist of 57 year olds who cant write a complete sentence and 19 year old drug addicts. No wonder their autos are so lousy.

Answer 1

You need a reality check.
Stop spouting your America hate crap!
GM cars are better in most quality categories most Jap makes out there.
You don't know what you are talking about!
Maybe you just beat the snot out of it.

Answer 2

Sorry to hear about your mistake but contrary to popular belief, many of these vehicles are top rated in some segments for reliability. I'm providing a link from JDPower the automotiver authority on reliability data.

Every so often there are some cars, that just continiously have issues. I have friends with even Camry's who are having issues which is why they have dropped some points in reliability recently. The Civic...6 recalls last year alone. So it happens to just about any manufacturer.

Now I myself understand your view with the UAW. I too find this is a detriment for the domestic manufacturers. Unions were many many decades ago, because it protected workers rights. But times have changed...now it's more like a pack of cheerleaders who refuse to cheer if they don't get their way. My personal belief is, if you dont wish to work, let someone else work...you CAN be replaced. Unions are more about covering each others mess, when someone isn't pulling their wait around, and hurts everyone at all levels.

And maybe we can opt. to have better workers, resulting in better products and this is for all industries...specially considering the record number of unemployed Americans.

Now to be fair and offer a different view... We'll take Nissan's Canton, Miss. plant which is Non-union. It builds the Armada, Quest and Titan, which each rates the lowest in their segment for reliability/initial quality. And from friends in Miss. they tell me Canton area doesn't really offer the brightest bulbs in the state when they were looking for workers.

So again, this can attack any manufacturer, union, or non. Things just happen. And considering my involvement with foreign makes, I would say it's almost pretty even...well except for Mbenz, Kia and VW...those things are not acceptable in any level of reliability...

Hope this helps...

Answer 3

Whoa there, nelly! Your brakes lasted ONLY 26,000 miles? How long do you expect them to last?

The fact of the matter is GMs quality ranks right up there with the japanese imports (jd powers initial quality, Summer 2006). GM offers a better warranty and similar fuel economy, apples for apples.

You didn't mention whether you bought a new or used vehicle, or what year/model, or really, what sort of problems you had. Personally, I'm sorry you seem to be having so much trouble. But to make the statement you did is out of line.

Answer 4

Yeah Japanese cars are great and American cars suck. Guess that's why you see a lot of older American cars on the road but never see any old Japanese cars out there. American cars, in my experience, are easier and cheaper to maintain over a long period than Japanese or European cars. And brake life has a lot to do with the way you drive. Tail gate and hit your brakes everytime the fellow in front hiccups and brakes won't last long. Anticipate light changes, follow at reasonable distances and don't drive two footed and you can have a vehicle like mine (US made) with 65,000 and still doesn't need a brake job. Try that with your foreign car.

Answer 5

The term is "planned obsolescence". The vehicles are made poorly to begin with and self-destruct long before they should. The you buy a new one. One day every American will catch on and we will all then own foreign-made cars, which will be the end of Detroit and the UAW. I would not have an American car. Unpatriotic? Maybe, but my car outlasted the payment book.

Answer 6

Government regulation that simultaneously tells them to spend millions of dollars on technology, then does not allow the American companies to work together on it. Japanese companies however are not restriced by our anti-trust laws.

Union regulations allowing pensions for nearly everyone at high cost to the companies, while also making it nearly impossible to fire employees, even when they show up drunk (in which case a semi-trained apprentice does the work-as required by the union).

Higher costs and prices due to the Japanese gov't giving rebates to companies for everything they export, vs. the American method which involves higher taxes for domestics and limited tarriffs on foreign goods.

Lack of national loyalty by people who refuse to acknowledge that while Japanese cars are getting worse lately, American cars are getting better. These people however will still spend more for the foreign car thus helping keep up the foreign resale values and driving down the domestics. (Lower resale = lower original sale price = less profit = less money for R&D and quality).

Answer 7

You are correct...........they are also protected by unions that make it nearly impossible to fire an employee regardless of the circumstances.
These unions encourage slow, sub par performance from their employees............it's a wonder that an automobile runs at all after leaving the factory if the company isn't allowed to criticize or punish these employees for mistakes.

Answer 8

The answer doesn't lie in the workers or the ceo of the compnay, but in between, with the middle managers. This is where Toyota and Honda excel, and where Ford and GM fail.

Answer 9

You answered your own question