What was the major issue with the American cars?

What was the major issue with the American cars?
Some people feel that they're made poorly or with inferior parts.  The truth is that American cars have been rising in quality in the past few years, and are rated pretty highly compared to foreign competitors.
You can check out driverside.com or car and driver for reviews (JD Power ratings can be found on DriverSide.com, car and driver has more of a wordy review process).
The only brand to be consistantly bad has been Dodge, who make pretty cars that don't last.