It’s one thing to suddenly find yourself without a reliable ride. It’s quite another to impulsively bring home a used car without understanding how it treated other owners. And while reliability ratings and new car reviews might help a bit, there’s nothing like hearing feedback straight from actual drivers.

Here’s a list of the most problematic used cars. We’ve sourced these scathing remarks from CarComplaints.com.

Top 10 Problem Cars According to Real Owner Complaints

10 and 9: 2015 and 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee

There’s a single major component plaguing owners: the 8-speed ZF electronic automatic transmission. Drivers lament rough shifting, jerking, and lags while changing gears.

8. 2014 Jeep Cherokee

As CarComplaints puts it, “There’s no way around it. The Cherokee’s transmission is junk.” Problems often hit before these cars even hit 40,000 miles.

7. 2013 Hyundai Elantra

Owners gripe about a few things on this year Elantra. Mainly, the engine ticks. Total engine failure is also reported, with an average odometer reading under 80,000 miles.

Drivers also experience what they consider premature tire wear and unusual grinding noises coming from the brakes.

6. 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Electrical and engine problems riddle this year’s Grand Cherokee. Owners of these cars rant about the Totally Integrated Power Module (we call it a Tip-Em) going bad, leaving their SUV undriveable. The average failure happens around 52,000 miles.

5. 2011 Hyundai Sonata

The 2011 Sonata “won” hundreds of owner complaints about its seizing 2.4L engine. These engines rendered themselves useless before 100,000 miles. A class action lawsuit followed initial complaints. Total replacement is necessary, although many owners simply junk the car. Confirm the engine was replaced before you bring one home, or steer clear.

4. 2013 Nissan Altima

Well, it doesn’t have a “sore” reputation over its Florida Man headlines alone, after all. This Altima houses the carmaker’s storied CVT transmission.

While Nissan extended its warranty on the unit, all 2013s are far out of the coverage window. CarComplaints tells drivers to avoid these cars like the plague.

3. 2019 Toyota RAV4

While I was surprised to see a modern RAV4 on the list, the 2019 has more than 1,000 complaints logged.

Owners were miffed that the transmission hesitated and lurched at slower speeds. Apparently, there’s a Toyota TSB for the fix. However, the automaker isn’t telling owners about it. Drivers of the 2019 have to seek out a dealer and note the condition before they’ll reprogram software.

Drivers also noted the 2019 RAV4 seemed unusually loud on acceleration.  

2. 2003 Honda Accord

This year Accord suffered from widespread transmission failure before the odometer hit 100,000 miles. CarComplaints has more than 500 reports of the issue.

Since these are now 22-year-old cars, if you find a low mileage one in “pristine” condition, check for tranny replacement first.

1. 2002 Ford Explorer

Or as we called them at the shop, Ford “Exploder.” Lucky owners, including 1,522 of them on CarComplaints, got to replace the transmission under 100k miles. Ford’s factory warranty goes for five years or 60,000 miles, by the way.

The wheel bearings also failed around 90,000 miles. Those ain’t cheap, either.

And hundreds of owners vented about the rear body panel cracking under the window glass.

CarComplaints says the phrase “avoid like the plague” puts 2002 Explorer issues lightly.

It might be easy to avoid some of the older cars above simply because those populations are probably well-thinned by now. Still, with the average used car price hovering over $30,000, don’t go bringing what you’d call a “steal” home if it’s mentioned here.