FaultScore

BMW 525XI vs Nissan Altima Hybrid

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 525XI Nissan Altima Hybrid
Complaints on file 67 166
Model years covered 2006–2011 2007–2011
Worst model year 2009
Best model year 2010
Crashes reported 0 14
Fires reported 5 5
Injuries reported 0 0
Deaths reported 0 0
Most complained-about part Airbags Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm 7.5% 11.4%

BMW 525XI by year

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

What breaks

Airbags 23 34.3%
Engine & Cooling 9 13.4%
Electrical System 9 13.4%
Steering 6 9.0%
Brakes 6 9.0%
Seats 4 6.0%
Seat Belts 3 4.5%
Transmission & Drivetrain 1 1.5%

Nissan Altima Hybrid by year

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

What breaks

Steering 28 16.9%
Engine & Cooling 22 13.3%
Airbags 14 8.4%
Brakes 13 7.8%
Acceleration & Cruise Control 9 5.4%
Suspension 8 4.8%
Other & Unspecified 7 4.2%