Sherwood Cooke Jr. sees patterns daily at Royalty Auto Service, which runs two busy, highly rated repair shops in Georgia. Cooke and his son have built a massive online following by explaining those patterns plainly, without sugarcoating or brand loyalty. This list came together over obvious flaws in cars from the 2010s that, over and over, drain time, patience, and wallets faster than expected.

Here, the initial price point doesn’t matter. What matters is reliability, repair cost, parts availability, and how often the same models rolled back in on tow trucks.

Expert Mechanic Exposes His 10 Least Favorite Cars of the 2010s

Dodge Dart (2013 to 2016)

Sherwood points at the modern Dart’s MultiAir system, chronic coolant leaks, electrical gremlins, and brutal parts availability.

He shared a recent case involving a 2016 Dart sidelined over a shifter no longer available new. At just nine years old, the car was effectively stranded by the supply chain.

Chevrolet Cruze (2008 to 2023)

On paper, the Cruze promised low buy-in and decent fuel economy. In practice, repairs often eclipse the car’s value.

Turbo failures, coolant leaks, oil leaks, and valve covers so common the shop keeps them stocked define the ownership experience. Even routine leaks turn expensive fast because the turbo has to come off. Cheap cars aren’t cheap when they live on lifts.

Ford Focus (2012 to 2015)

Certain years ruin reputations, and these did real damage.

The dual-clutch transmission failures were not a question of if, but when. Severe vibrations followed many owners around until the end. Sherwood recommends avoiding these years entirely.

Older and newer Focus models don’t suffer at the same scale, but this stretch is radioactive.

Land Rover with the 5.0L V8

Luxury does not insulate you from physics…or poor design. Coolant leaks under the intake manifold are common enough that Sherwood recommends fixing “everything” while you’re in there. Because if not, you will be back.

Supercharged versions only add labor. Brake vacuum pumps, oil leaks, timing chain issues, and eye-watering repair bills make these former “lease darlings” brutal secondhand buys.

Cars with the Ford EcoBoost 1.5L, 1.6L, and 2.0L (2013 to 2019)

“Coolant intrusion” is the phrase that ends diagnostic flow charting. These engines suffer from a design flaw that allows coolant into the cylinders, often requiring full engine replacement.

Ford may price replacement engines aggressively, but labor is still labor. Buying a car with a known internal failure baked in is a gamble Sherwood refuses to take.

Mini Cooper

Fun to drive. Even more fun to invoice!

Timing chain failures dominate the story, joined by oil leaks, turbo issues, and severe carbon buildup on intake valves as early as 15,000 miles. Sherwood jokes that Minis became shop favorites because techs got very good at fixing them.

Owners kept paying because they loved how the cars drove. Either way, the relationship ends with a doozie of a repair history. I should know, by the way. I’ve owned two.

Nissan cars with CVTs (2012 to 2018)

Sentra, Altima, Maxima, Murano, Rogue. Different badges, same headache.

These CVTs failed so predictably that Sherwood’s shop often advised against spending money on transmission services. Even warranty companies avoided covering them. Replacement, not repair, was the expected outcome. Nissan improved later designs, but this era did lasting damage.

Ford EcoBoost 3.5L

On these engines, turbo coolant and oil lines leak often. Fixing them requires cab-off labor in trucks, which turns small parts into big bills.

Valve covers break frequently and hit national backorder status. Add phaser issues and occasional water pump design nightmares, and the engine becomes an expensive recurring character.

Kia and Hyundai 2.0L and 2.4L Engines

Sherwood doesn’t hide his stance here. Engine failures were so common that former Kia techs told him three engine replacements per day was the expectation.

Some owners report long-term success. But at scale, cars with these engines created backlogs that speak louder than anecdotes.

Chrysler cars with the 3.6L V6

By a wide margin, this is Sherwood’s least favorite.

Oil cooler and filter housing leaks are inevitable, though aftermarket fixes exist. The real killer is lifter failure, which quietly destroys camshafts and contaminates the oil. Once metal circulates, engines are done. Dealers stocking camshafts and lifters is not a coincidence. The rest of the vehicle is often fine. The engine alone sinks it.

The mechanic isn’t trying to scare buyers

The crew at Royalty is just trying to keep drivers from repeating expensive history. Every car here made sense to someone at some point. The trouble starts when marketing promises collide with long-term ownership reality. Shops remember what ads forget. And they remember it in very tangible invoice form, not opinions.