The Mitsubishi L200 Was Also a Rusty Pickup
The Mitsubishi Triton was one of the Japanese car manufacturer’s only pickup trucks, and it definitely showed. This 1978 truck bears the same look like many of Mitsubishi’s vehicles, albeit with a flatbed in the back. It was a compact pickup, very compact, with wheels that were not much larger than a regular car.
The Triton was sold in the United States as the L200, but it would have been more appropriately named if it was just called the Mitsubishi Rusty. Based on many accounts from truck owners, the truck would tend to gather rust underneath it in less than just a year after it was first purchased. For a country that prides itself on minimalism and technological superiority, it’s quite a surprise that Rusty turned out so poorly.
The Nissan Titan is Almost a Titanic Failure
The only saving grace about the Nissan Titan is that you can find it online at highly discounted prices. However, that has much more to do with its poor quality than actual market efficiency. This pickup by Nissan attempted to create a slick and competitive truck to show its strength in the crowded American pickup category but failed to make a dent due to lacking various qualities.
If we cut the Titan some slack and also focus on its positive features, it’s worthy to note that the truck has been praised by reviewers for having a large cab and great towing capabilities. Despite these positives, however, the lack of quality, which is due to its belts, pullies, and mounts, simply keeps it from becoming a real contender. Many owners of the Titan also claim to experience leaks and cracks in the body, which is the last thing you want to say about a pickup truck. We'd definitely give this one a pass.
The GMC Canyon Has Leaky Fuel
Another truck that was built by GMC to look fierce on the outside but was actually soft on the inside was the Canyon. Despite appearing as one luxurious pickup, there have been many reports by customers who claim that it malfunctioned due to transmission, fuel system, and cabin electronics problems.
The Canyon was also recalled at least one time for having a damaged fuel line that could potentially create a fuel leak and eventually go up in flames. Yikes. It doesn’t live up to the standards set by its competitors, which makes it quite a sub-par offering when compared to other pickup trucks in its price range. This is one pickup truck that you might want to skip on your next offroad vehicle purchase.
Ram Rumble Bee Was Their Attempt to Glamorize Pickup Trucks
Dodge's Super Bee was quite a popular vehicle back in the day. These were a line of muscle cars that were produced by Dodge in the late '60s. The popular muscle car was then revived in recent years for 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2013 Dodge Charger Super Bee models. For some reason, in 2004, Dodge thought it would be a good idea to try riding on the popularity of the brand by introducing the Ram Rumble Bee.
Even if you manage to get over the weird name of this truck, the automaker must not have realized that comedy and retro is the last thing that pickup truck drivers are looking for in a market that primarily competes for reliability, power, efficiency, and price. This yellow ugly beast didn't survive for long and was quickly discontinued. If you're interested in buying a Ram, it's best to just get a regular one instead of this fat queen bee.
The Suzuki Equator Was a Nissan Frontier
When Suzuki wanted to try and find their way into the American pickup truck market, they had two options in front of them: the first was to dedicate some serious resources and time to engineering a truck that's so good, it couldn't be ignored, thus paving the way into the hearts and wallets of Americans who are eager to purchase the best pickup truck their budget can get. Option number two was to simply copy an existing model from another car maker and slap a Suzuki logo on it. Unfortunately, the Japanese automaker chose to go with the latter.
Suzuki contacted Nissan and asked to license their Frontier model and put their logo on it, which Nissan gladly agreed to. Let's just say that this move didn't go well, as savvy consumers quickly picked up on the scheme and avoided purchasing the Suzuki Equator. The only thing this scheme equated was the profit and loss balance for the Japanese automaker. The Equator was in production for just four years before being scrapped by Suzuki.