FaultScore

BMW 325IS vs Honda S2000

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 325IS Honda S2000
Complaints on file 53 132
Model years covered 1992–1995 2000–2008
Worst model year 2000
Best model year 2002
Crashes reported 3 17
Fires reported 0 6
Injuries reported 3 10
Deaths reported 0 0
Most complained-about part Engine & Cooling Engine & Cooling
Share of complaints involving harm 11.3% 25%

BMW 325IS by year

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

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 11 20.8%
Body & Structure 10 18.9%
Transmission & Drivetrain 5 9.4%
Lights 5 9.4%
Airbags 4 7.5%
Suspension 3 5.7%
Fuel & Propulsion 3 5.7%
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 3 5.7%

Honda S2000 by year

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

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 22 16.7%
Transmission & Drivetrain 21 15.9%
Body & Structure 15 11.4%
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 10 7.6%
Lights 9 6.8%
Airbags 8 6.1%
Steering 6 4.5%
Electrical System 5 3.8%