BMW 323I vs Dodge Nitro

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure	BMW 323I	Dodge Nitro
Complaints on file	676	1,635
Model years covered	1985–2011	2005–2012
Worst model year	2000	2007
Best model year	1998	2009
Crashes reported	41	57
Fires reported	14	37
Injuries reported	43	59
Deaths reported	4	0
Most complained-about part	Transmission & Drivetrain	Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm	15.1%	9.4%

BMW 323I by year

1 27 175 459 3 3 4 3 1

85 98 99 00 01 07 08 10 11

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Transmission & Drivetrain 271 40.1%

Airbags 142 21.0%

Body & Structure 43 6.4%

Electrical System 30 4.4%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 25 3.7%

Suspension 19 2.8%

Doors, Latches & Locks 19 2.8%

Tires 18 2.7%

Dodge Nitro by year

1 676 611 36 111 197 3

05 07 08 09 10 11 12

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Electrical System 426 26.1%

Fuel & Propulsion 290 17.7%

Engine & Cooling 122 7.5%

Airbags 105 6.4%

Transmission & Drivetrain 103 6.3%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 89 5.4%

Other & Unspecified 80 4.9%

Brakes 78 4.8%