Disinfo: 10 Cars That Damaged GM's Reputation

John Pearley Huffman, Popular Mechanics: GM's current precarious situation didn't come about overnight. There are arguments to be made that various government regulations led to the disaster and that management can't escape much of the blame, and there are plenty who contend it was a series of disastrous union labor contracts that have put the company at risk.But there's one thing everyone agrees on: Over the past few decades GM put some truly terrible products out on the market. Unreliable, uninteresting and flat ugly, these were cars that simply destroyed GM's reputation. It's ironic that right now, just as it teeters near bankrupcy, GM has never had a stronger lineup of cars and trucks. But each of those cars is weighed down by the legacy of products like the ten listed here.1. 1971–1977 Chevrolet VegaLegend has it that when Chevrolet Division Manager John DeLorean went to the GM Proving Grounds to get his first look at a prototype of the new 1971 Chevrolet Vega, the front of the car literally fell off onto the ground. But that bad omen didn't keep DeLorean from putting the Vega on the market.