In a report card on American cars, Consumer Reports argues GM, Ford, and Chrysler are struggling "for many reasons, including the credit crunch, poor management, and decades of producing mediocre cars."

In particular, CR finds the reliability of domestic brands lag behind the imports.

"We've recently seen signs that Detroit is heading in the right direction, with better-performing models from General Motors and improved reliability from Ford," the report states. "But they still lack the high level of consistency of the best automakers, such as Honda and Toyota, which build good, all-around vehicles that often excel in performance and reliability."

Here's a summary of what CR thinks the Detroit 3 are doing right and where they need to improve.

General Motors
GM's newer models are much improved over older designs and now rank among the best in their classes. But the reliability of many models still falls short. And its small cars and most of its SUVs aren't up to the competition.

About half of GM's models are below average in reliability and the company has been slow to adopt full hybrid technology for cars.

At the same time, it said GM's next generation of small cars, including the Chevrolet Cruze, looks promising.

Ford
Ford has made great strides in reliability, with some models now rivaling the best from the Japanese automakers.

The Ford Fusion, Lincoln MKZ, and Mercury Milan rank among the most trouble-free models in our reliability survey.

Moreover, the 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid provided the best fuel economy--26 mpg overall--of any SUV we've tested.

And Ford is planning to bring to the U.S. some of its competitive, nicely finished, small European models.

For the future, Ford needs to maintain its high level of reliability while upgrading its older models, especially in the areas of fuel economy, refinement, and interior quality.

Chrysler
Many Chrysler vehicles rank at the bottom of our ratings in their categories, and none currently meet our requirements for being recommended.

Some engines, such as the new 3.5-liter V6, are refined and perform well and Chrysler interiors often have handy features.

But overall Chrysler has Detroit's poorest reliability with almost two-thirds of its models getting a below-average reliability rating.

In addition, many models have a lackluster driving experience and subpar fit and finish and even its minivans are inferior to Honda's and Toyota's.