Car Dealer Reputations: America's Most Hated Car Brands

According to a survey from the American Customer Satisfaction Index, buyers of both foreign and domestic cars aren't overly happy with their purchases. In fact, customer satisfaction in the auto industry is at a five-year low.

The decline is widespread, with 80 percent of car brands experiencing drops in customer satisfaction.

Forrest Morgeson, ACSI's director of research, told MarketWatch that the decline is likely due to a lack of incentives -- meaning people are paying more for cars than they did a few years ago -- and a wealth of recalls across the industry.

A few brands performed worse than others in the study, and we've compiled those in this gallery right here. Head on through to see the brands that car buyers are liking the least.

Cadillac

Score (Out of 100): 80

Cadillac, which is the luxury arm of General Motors, has struggled with customer satisfaction, taking seventh place on the list with a score of 80 out of 100. The brand has launched a number of new vehicles over the past few years that have been met with enthusiasm from critics and decent sales numbers, but it still has a ways ago before it is competing with the likes of Mercedes-Benz and Lexus, according to the study.

Notable cars from Cadillac include the Escalade (pictured here), CTS and ATS.

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BMW

Score (Out of 100): 80

Though BMW is one of those brands that youngsters dream of one day owning, it has still struggled with customer satisfaction as of late. It's not entirely clear why the German automaker is so disliked at the moment, but the brand has a reputation for requiring frequent and expensive maintenance, likely causing its buyers a good deal of grief.

In addition to sporty sedans like the 3 Series and 5 Series (pictured here), BMW has begun offering green cars like the i3 and i8.

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Mazda

Score (Out of 100): 80

Mazda has been on a roll with car reviewers who love its cars' sporty driving dynamics, striking exterior design and great fuel economy. In spite of this, the brand has struggled to keep its customers satisfied, according to the study. Mazda tied with Cadillac and BMW with a score of 80 out of 100.

Mazda's current stable of cars includes the Mazda3 small sedan (pictured), Mazda6 midsize sedan and CX-5 crossover.

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Acura

Score (Out of 100): 77

It's surprising to see Acura on this at all, let alone having the lowest customer satisfaction overall. Its parent company, Honda, is among the highest for customer satisfaction, the brand has a sterling reputation for reliability and last year it was in the middle of the pack in this study. Acura certainly hasn't been wowing anyone with its products, and perhaps its buyers aren't impressed with how they compare to its competition.

Acura vehicles include the RLX (pictured here), ILX sedan and MDX SUV.

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Cadillac

BMW

Mazda

Acura

Cadillac

BMW

Mazda

Audi

Score (Out of 100): 79

Audi has seen sales skyrocket in recent years with its large fleet of sporty and sexy luxury vehicles. Still, customers aren't satisfied with it. Audi scored a 79 out of 100 points to put it near the bottom of all automotive brands. Interestingly, Volkswagen, which is Audi's parent company, found itself on the list of brands customers are most satisfied with.

Audi vehicles include the S4 (pictured) sedan, Q5 SUV and R8 supercar.

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Jeep

Score (Out of 100): 79

Jeep has been a legendary automotive brand since it made its first appearance during WWII, but it has been suffering as of late. Lackluster offerings with poor reliability have caused the brand to sour with consumers. The good news is that under new ownership Jeep seems to be on its way back up with a growing fleet of solid vehicles.

Jeep SUVs include the Cherokee (pictured), Grand Cherokee and Wrangler.

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Dodge

Score (Out of 100): 78

Dodge, which is a brand under Fiat-Chrysler, was the second-worst rated brand for customer satisfaction in the study. This isn't too terribly surprising. Almost all of its offerings are far from being class-leading, and reliability has been a problem. However, Dodge, like Jeep, is under new ownership and seems to be headed back in the right direction with encouraging new products and concepts.

Vehicles in the Dodge stable include the Dart (pictured), Charger and Challenger.

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