2010 Lexus GX 460 Among the Worst Cars Ever Sold

Recently, Consumer Reports put the 2010 Lexus GX 460 on its feared “Don’t Buy” list, a move that has already affected the future of the SUV—Toyota almost immediately placed a stop-sale order on the $52,000 GX 460 and ordered extensive tests to pinpoint the root of its failure.

The safety issue may also create a public-relations nightmare for the embattled automaker—the GX is the lone vehicle to get the “Don’t Buy” label since it was created last July. Since the list started in 1969, just 11 vehicles have gotten the less-serious “Not Acceptable” designation. This may affect buyers' ability to receive cheap auto insurance premiums.

However, it’s premature to call the GX 460 a failure. That designation can only come after several years of public contempt. Consider the 2001 Pontiac Aztek or the 1971 Ford Pinto, for example.

“The Aztek is the only car that I can remember that people would walk by and actually point and laugh at you when you were driving it," explains Jake Fisher, a senior automotive engineer for Consumer Reports who has been in the auto industry for 14 years. "I remember being parked in it, and people would giggle and point because it was so hideous looking.”

The Aztek was General Motors’ first try at a crossover SUV, but it wasn’t the first vehicle to get such a poor reception. The Cadillac Cimarron, the Yugo, and the Lincoln Blackwood are also among the worst auto flops in history in the opinions of auto industry experts.

The Perfect Recipe for Failure

Keep in mind that not just any vehicle can be considered a flop. The biggest car flops have a rare combination of dismal sales (at least half as low as expected), an abbreviated production run, and popular or critical disdain. The vehicle will probably also have bad reliability and safety scores, but not necessarily. One thing is for sure, though: flops end up costing their manufacturers a great deal of money. For example, Ford lost an estimated $200-$250 million, or $1.55 billion when adjusted for inflation, on the disastrous Edsel model.

Of course, with some car flops, there is a silver lining to the black cloud of failure. Certain car disasters have generated cult-like followings, such as the DeLorean featured in the Back to the Future movies. Likewise, collectors still pay thousands of dollars for the rare Ford Edsel.

The 5 Worst Cars Ever Sold

Here is a list of the five biggest automotive failures in history:

1. Cadillac Cimarron
   • Production run: 1982 – 1988
   • Number sold: 132,500
   • Notes: Sold and performed poorly; did not do justice to luxury brand
2. Ford Edsel
   • Production run: 1958 – 1960
   • Number sold: 84,000
   • Notes: Outdated styling and poor sales
3. Ford Pinto
   • Production run: 1970 – 1980
   • Number sold: unknown
   • Notes: Gas tank problems led to explosions during rear-end collisions
4. GM EV1
   • Production run: 1996 – 1999
   • Number sold: 1,100
   • Notes: Poor sales; unreliable and pricey
5. Lincoln Blackwood
   • Production run: 2002
   • Number sold: 3,300
   • Notes: Poor sales; unaffordable; impractical carpeted truck bed