Dodge Omni
Back in 1977, the American car industry was rapidly changing. The decade of fuel shortages, tightening emissions, new safety standards, and import cars claiming a significant percentage of the US market was about to end. Domestic manufacturers were forced to adapt to the new conditions and the big, thirsty, V8-powered cruisers of the ’50s and ’60s were gone. The new models were small with front-wheel drive, four-cylinder engines, and far better fuel economy. The Dodge Omni was a popular compact model that was the right car for the late ’70s and the changing economic climate. Or was it? Consumer Reports claimed that the Omni was very unsafe to drive. This was because of its vague steering, bad brakes, and poor road holding (via HFM).
Consumer Reports even claimed the car was dangerous to drive since the steering was so bad that the driver was unsure what the car was doing. From this distance, it could be too harsh for the experts but didn’t affect the popularity of the Omni. In its 13 years on the market, Dodge sold over three million examples of this compact car with lousy steering and potentially dangerous road holding. This shows that not all bad cars are failures. Sometimes, they are still strong sellers despite their flaws.