'Jeep, Chrysler, Anything Stellantis': Mechanics Reveal Which Cars Pay Their Rent. Is Yours On the List?

In a now-viral TikTok from Dartt Automotive (@dartt.automotive) in Evansville, Indiana, someone asks a group of in-house mechanics: What car brand has so many issues it basically pays your rent?

Without missing a beat, the first one says, “Jeep, Chrysler—anything Stellantis. Runner-up would be Hyundai and Kia.”

He goes on to cite “drastically high engine failures, transmission failures, countless electrical issues, and just bizarre, oddball other stuff” as a reason behind picking those brands.

The video provides a fascinating glimpse into what mechanics think about the durability of different car brands. And it stands to reason that they would know, given how many of them they need to resuscitate every day.

Motor1 reached out to Dartt Automotive but didn’t immediately receive a response. Their post racked up over half a million likes in just a few days.

Blunt Talk About Failing Cars

The video’s charm seems to be its bluntness. It’s not a sponsored review or consumer report—it comes straight from the shop floor. And mechanics across TikTok and Instagram have chimed in to back them up.

What the man said wasn’t just anecdotal. Consumer Reports has consistently ranked Jeep near the bottom of its reliability charts. 

As for throwing Hyundai and Kia into the mix, brands that have faced their own reliability troubles, Motor1 has highlighted some of their issues in recent reporting.

Other Dartt Automotive mechanics weighed in with other cars that pay the rent. One of them highlighted the Chevy Traverse. Another one said any General Motors vehicle with a four-cylinder engine was “money all day long.” 

“Electrical issues, they weren’t well built, all kinds of odd things,” he said. ”They’ll run forever; it’s just everything on it is gonna break.”

Another mechanic mentioned the Chevy Equinox again. The perspective is noteworthy because trade publications like J.D. Power give the vehicle mostly positive reviews.

“Equinox—we have two of them in the parking lot right now—the engine is blown,” he said.

Commenters jumped in with replies denigrating American cars, receiving scores of thousands of likes for expressing the sentiment. 

“So basically American cars,” a poster going by “Jane of Gaia” wrote.

“Basically any car made in America,” an unnamed user added.

One of the top commenters dropped a sharp barb against Jeep and its product.

“You’ll never get in an accident in a Jeep!!! Because they’re always safe at the shop,” user “TV2290” replied. The comment collected over 60,000 likes.

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