Nothing’s worse than a clunker showing up in your driveway—just when you expect reliability. Unfortunately, some unreliable cars can start showing serious problems long before 50,000 miles. Between hidden defects, recurring mechanical failures, or whole-engine meltdowns, these models prove costly and stressful. If you’re shopping for a car, learn which vehicles broke down too fast and how to avoid a short-lived nightmare. Here are five unreliable cars that regularly fail before the 50K mark—so you can save your money and your sanity.
