By In the past decade, pickups became much more refined. They are more efficient, more comfortable, more car-like. Therefore, you will very often find reviews that praise a certain truck for things that don’t have too much in common with traditional trucks. Despite all the novelties, pickup trucks still need primarily to be durable and reliable. Therefore, reviews of brand-new models aren’t that relevant in this case. Moreover, time is the only judge and only after years of use we can tell if some truck is good or not. So, if you’re looking for a used truck, here is a list of Worst pickup trucks in the last 10 years:
Ford Trucks with 5.4-liter V8 Engines
Ford’s V8 engines are generally known as reliable, especially those older ones. However, there is one exception. In 2004, the Blue Oval company introduced a new, three-valve version of the famous 5.4-liter V8 engine. Once a highly reliable unit became something that many experts consider the worst V8 engine Ford has ever made.
The main problem with this engine is a pathetic spark plugin design, which unreliable and extremely expensive to fix. Not only that repair costs are expensive, but you have to do them over and over again. So, if you want a used F-150, skip those with 5.4-liter V8 3V engine made between 2004 and 2010.
2010 Ford F-150
The so-called Triton engine wasn’t the only nightmare for F-150. Even after its discontinuation, there were many things that troubled drivers. This particularly refers to the 2010 model year. We are talking about the twelfth generation of the legendary truck and, interestingly, the biggest issues didn’t have much to do with the engine this time. New V8 engines turned out to be quite reliable, but the problem was with a six-speed transmission. Some of the biggest issues were hard shifting, vibrations, inconsistent shifting etc. Fortunately, these problems were solved in the 2011 model.
2011 Ford F-250 and Ford F-350
Super Duty of the same era was also critical in some aspects. In the early 2000s, these trucks have big issues with suspension, while engine breakdowns were frequent as well. After a couple of quiet years, the same problem appeared in 2011 F-250 and F-350 models. Once again, we witnessed poor suspension setup and other issues, so this may be the worst year for Super Duty models ever.
2015 Chevy Colorado
In 2015, Colorado came back to the U.S. market. However, things weren’t that great at the start. Although generally a reliable truck, the 2015 Colorado’s automatic transmission is pathetic. Slow shifts, especially when downshifting is some of the biggest issues, which made a powerful V6 engine look underpowered. At least, there are no rust issues that characterized previous generations, though there is still plenty of time for it to appear as well.
2014-2015 Chevy Silverado
Earlier models of the full-size truck had problems with engines. While that’s not the case with newest Silverados, 2014 and 2015 year models have various other issues. One of the first things that come to mind is traditionally shaky, and also noisy, transmission. Also, there are many complaints about paint, which started to peeling quickly. On the inside, many buyers report problems with air conditioning, while shifting issues are a pretty common thing for all Silverado models.
2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 Dodge Ram 1500
We are pretty sure that you have never doubted that FCA models will find a place in this Worst pickup trucks list. Ram trucks may be great in terms of utility, but the problem is that they are coming from Chrystler, which is traditionally the most unreliable American carmaker. The infamous TIMP and low safety score are some of the main concerns, but things that frustrate much more are small bugs, particularly in terms of electronics. Climate control, infotainment system, cruise control, power locks – these may be minor issues, but will cost you a real fortune to fix them.
2012 to 2015 Dodge Ram HD
Heavy Duty models from Ram are also on the list. Once again, we are talking about the models that were produced in the early 2010s. Uncontrollable steering and extreme vibrations are just some of the issues. Traditionally shaky suspension is here as well, while death wobble is the thing that bothers all models from Chrysler Group.
2015 GMC Canyon
Colorado’s mechanical twin suffers from pretty much same issues. First of all, there is a lazy transmission, with extremely slow downshifts. While the powertrain is generally good, other mechanical failures are pretty common, particularly in terms of steering and brakes. Also, many models have troubles with electronic bugs.
2014 GMC Sierra 1500
Besides typical issues that trouble Silverado 1500 as well, this model has an additional, pretty huge drawback. It’s about headlights and big visibility problems. Other than that, electrical issues are also a present, particularly in terms of air conditioning. Like in Silverado, the transmission is shaky and pretty slow when downshifting. Also, the thing we don’t like are heated seats, which are weak and need whole eternity to warm up.
2010-2013 and 2016 Toyota Tacoma
Despite being generally a highly reliable truck, the Tacoma had some troubles in the past as well. Earlier models had problems with paint, while rear leaf springs were critical as well. The used to rust and crumble under heavy loads, causing damages on the fuel tank. Also, many drivers complained about lots of noise at high speeds. These problems were solved with the 2015 redesign. However, one of them remained in the 2016 year model. It’s about transmission, which is very hard in lower gears and extremely slow with downshifts. This issue has been solved recently.
2019 Mercedes-Benz X-Class
It may be too early to put this model on the list of Worst pickup trucks in the last 10 years, but the fact is that the luxury pickup will be discontinued after just a couple of year. Simply, it didn’t meet the expectation. With Navara-based design, it isn’t as luxurious as other MB models, not it has that undying flavor of the G Wagen. Also, it is extremely expensive for a mid-size pickup truck, so it’s no wonder that sales numbers are quite pathetic. All in all, the X-Class is one of the biggest flops German luxury carmaker has ever made.
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