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These Pickups Were The Biggest Flops In Truck History

Cameron Eittreim June 2, 2023

Pickup trucks have long been the vehicle of choice for the working man. However, in recent years, pickup trucks have gone from being a utility tool to something of a fashion statement. The trucks of today are draped from top to bottom in chrome, leather, and most of the luxuries that you’d expect in a high-end sedan. Today’s pickup trucks also cost as much if not more than even high-end cars. For some models, that’s an understatement. The big three dominate the pickup truck market but there have been other companies that tried to carve out a niche as well.

Companies like Mitsubishi, Honda, and even Subaru have all tried to carve a spot in the lucrative pickup truck market and failed miserably. With the rise in the popularity of modern crossover vehicles, the pickup truck will never going to be the same as it once was. Some pickups worked out well while others became massive disappointments for drivers. Buckle up as we looked at the biggest flops in the history of pickup trucks.

Ford Explorer Sport Trac

The Ford Explorer is one of the most popular SUVs in history, but Ford also sold it as a compact pickup truck. The Explorer Sport Trac was an attempt at Ford to try and attract pickup truck buyers who didn’t want a full-sized model. The Sport Trac had a small undersized truck bed and there wasn’t any major improvement over the Explorer. The Sport Trac was also relegated to an outdated body style while the Explorer SUV was updated (via Hot Cars).

The Explorer Sport Trac was redesigned in the late 2000s but that wasn’t enough to increase the sales. Ford had a lot of interest in the full-size F-150 but not so much in the Sport Trac. Even the Adrenalin model wasn’t enough to increase the sales numbers of the Sport Trac and it ended up being a flop.

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Nissan Titan

Nissan has been in the pickup truck business for decades, way back when the brand was known as Datsun in America. Unfortunately, the company hasn’t ever been able to crack the full-sized segment. The Titan was the first attempt by the company to sell a full-sized pickup but it was vastly unpowered and limited on options. There wasn’t a single cab or a heavy-duty configuration on the first generation of the truck (via James Carter Nissan).

The Titan never sold numbers close to what the Frontier was doing and was a flop for the company. In terms of competition with domestic automakers, the Titan doesn’t compete. The first generation of the Nissan Titan was not the best start for a company that was trying to enter into a very competitive segment. Nevertheless, the truck has remained on the market for over a decade now.

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Mazda B-Series

The Mazda B-Series was a truck that was sold for most of the 1990s and early 2000s. If it looks familiar that’s because it shared most of its sheet metal with the Ford Ranger. Mazda wanted to make a splash in the highly competitive pickup truck segment and the relationship with Ford Motor Company made platform sharing a viable option. The problem was that the B-Series didn’t offer anything unique and wasn’t heavily advertised either (via Car Gurus).

The B-Series never had a major redesign and the truck didn’t offer any special editions. The sales numbers were so low that you’ll seldom see one on the road these days. When other automakers had moved onto mid-sized pickup trucks Mazda and Ford kept with the compact truck size. Even in the latter part of the product line the B-Series never had anything more than rear jump seats in the back.

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Honda Ridgeline (First Generation)

When Honda announced that they were entering the pickup truck segment, the automotive community questioned the move. Honda wasn’t a name that came to mind when you think of a pickup truck. The original Ridgeline was released with a questionable style and a fairly limited appeal. It was only available with a four-door cab configuration and the bed wasn’t even large enough to transport lumber (via Honda of Newman).

The truck was perfect for the person who wanted the practicality of an SUV with the ability to haul something in a truck bed every once in a while. But as far as a work truck went, the Ridgeline wasn’t even in the mix. Similar to how Nissan poorly planned with the Titan, the original Ridgeline just had poor execution. The original Ridgeline has gained a loyal following but was never the success that Honda wanted.

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Mitsubishi Raider

What happens when you slap a Mitsubishi badge on a third-generation Dodge Dakota? You get the Raider. Mitsubishi decided to enter the pickup truck segment late and what we got was the Raider. The truck shared almost everything with the third-generation Dodge Dakota, and the only difference was the front and rear body design. The interior was slightly upscale with a sportier design but that was just about it (via Car & Driver).

The truck sold so poorly that there was a backlog at dealership lots, and finally, Chrysler ceased production of the truck. The Raider didn’t make much of a splash in the pickup truck market, and this can partly be attributed to the small dealership network that Mitsubishi has. The other problem was the fact that the truck was based on the least popular version of the Dodge Dakota truck which itself was being phased out.

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Suzuki Equator

Suzuki rose to prominence in the United States by selling motorcycles and quads, but it wasn’t until the Samurai SUV hit the scene that the company hit its stride. The Samurai was immensely popular in the late 1980s and early ’90s. The removable top and off-road capability and durability gave the small UTE a name for enthusiasts. Fast forward to the 2000s and the company was working hard to gain traction in the affordable car market (via Auto Trader).

The Equator shared a platform with the Nissan Frontier, which in theory was a good thing. But the reality was that the Frontier was already on a decade-old dated design. The Equator didn’t offer anything new, and the folks at Suzuki hoped that the traditional Suzuki motorcycle shoppers would pick the Equator as their weekend warrior. Unfortunately, the Equator sold far below expectations and the brand exited from the U.S. market shortly thereafter.

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Lincoln Blackwood

A Lincoln-branded luxury truck? That sounds like a recipe for success right? Well, it was wrong when the Blackwood was introduced. The truck did everything wrong and nothing right, and coupled with the high price tag nobody wanted the thing. To start things off the most obvious offense was a velvet bed liner, which meant that you couldn’t haul anything. The fairly limited body design of the truck and one color configuration were also limiting (via Motor Trend).

The Blackwood was only sold for a single year in 2002 and its sales numbers were extremely low. There were a few people who enjoyed these trucks but for the most part, it was a commercial failure. Since it was nothing more than an F-150 there wasn’t a whole lot to like about the Blackwood. The funny thing is that the truck ended up being somewhat of a trendsetter almost a decade later.

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Toyota T-100

For years, Toyota sold a compact pickup truck here in the U.S. market. But it’s no mystery that domestic pickup truck shoppers want a full-sized offering. The T-100 only offered a few small engine choices and there wasn’t a V8 at all. There was also only a limited cab configuration and bed size. The T-100 failed to garner any real traction in the United States and the sales numbers were fairly low (via Car & Driver).

The Toyota Tacoma was released around this same period and that truck proved to be a popular choice. For its part, the T-100 has become quite a popular collector’s item nowadays. These trucks are managing to fetch a pretty penny because of the Toyota name that’s associated with them.

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Tundra T3 Special Edition

The Tundra T3 Special Edition was a movie tie-in with Terminator 3 that was released in 2003. The truck was featured prominently in the movie so it is no surprise that Toyota tried to profit off of this. The problem was that the T3 Special Edition was nothing more than a black Tundra with some decals. The truck didn’t have any upgrades to the performance and there were no added features to justify the price (via Motor Trend).

The T3 edition of the Tundra was not a success by any stretch of the imagination, and the truck failed to garner much interest in the Tundra. The problem with the Tundra from this era was that it was still very undersized and it didn’t offer much in the way of completion for the domestic brands.

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Subaru Baja

Did you know that Subaru sold a pickup truck? The Subaru Baja was based on the existing Outback Wagon at the time and it featured a truck bed and a four-door cab design. The truck was inspired by the traditional style mini-trucks that are sold over in Australia but it just wasn’t enough to garner any consumer interest (via Quarrel Subaru).

Subaru also sold the Brat compact truck in the 1980s which faired a lot better than the Baja did. The Brat was more of a traditional pickup truck whereas the Baja tried too hard. Creating a trend-setting vehicle is never easy but Subaru tried to do it anyway. The Baja had a lot of potential but it just wasn’t enough to carve a niche in the lucrative pickup truck market.

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