BMW 323I vs Oldsmobile Intrigue

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	Oldsmobile Intrigue
Complaints on file	676	1,598
Model years covered	1985–2011	1996–2002
Worst model year	2000	1998
Best model year	1998	2002
Crashes reported	41	76
Fires reported	14	65
Injuries reported	43	43
Deaths reported	4	4
Most complained-about part	Transmission & Drivetrain	Steering
Share of complaints involving harm	15.1%	11.8%

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%

Oldsmobile Intrigue by year

1 1 665 371 296 173 91

96 97 98 99 00 01 02

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

What breaks

Steering 295 18.5%

Electrical System 267 16.7%

Engine & Cooling 233 14.6%

Lights 162 10.1%

Brakes 138 8.6%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 77 4.8%

Seat Belts 68 4.3%

Transmission & Drivetrain 66 4.1%