BMW 325XI vs Lincoln Mark Viii

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 325XI	Lincoln Mark Viii
Complaints on file	398	984
Model years covered	2001–2009	1989–2000
Worst model year	2004	1993
Best model year	2001	1997
Crashes reported	21	49
Fires reported	14	21
Injuries reported	17	18
Deaths reported	0	6
Most complained-about part	Airbags	Lights
Share of complaints involving harm	13.1%	9.6%

BMW 325XI by year

19 93 35 72 34 143 2

01 02 03 04 05 06 09

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

What breaks

Airbags 145 36.4%

Electrical System 41 10.3%

Engine & Cooling 36 9.0%

Lights 35 8.8%

Steering 22 5.5%

Suspension 16 4.0%

Seat Belts 14 3.5%

Other & Unspecified 13 3.3%

Lincoln Mark Viii by year

1 1 286 190 172 120 103 108 2 1

89 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00

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

What breaks

Lights 576 58.5%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 72 7.3%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 51 5.2%

Brakes 45 4.6%

Electrical System 43 4.4%

Transmission & Drivetrain 36 3.7%

Suspension 28 2.8%

Steering 22 2.2%