BMW 535XI vs Mercury Monterey

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 535XI	Mercury Monterey
Complaints on file	223	550
Model years covered	2007–2013	1968–2007
Worst model year	2008	2004
Best model year	2012	2007
Crashes reported	1	4
Fires reported	12	10
Injuries reported	6	8
Deaths reported	0	0
Most complained-about part	Engine & Cooling	Transmission & Drivetrain
Share of complaints involving harm	8.5%	4%

BMW 535XI by year

1 123 26 44 23 6

07 08 10 11 12 13

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

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 31 13.9%

Electrical System 30 13.5%

Fuel & Propulsion 30 13.5%

Airbags 21 9.4%

Transmission & Drivetrain 18 8.1%

Tires 18 8.1%

Lights 14 6.3%

Wheels 13 5.8%

Mercury Monterey by year

2 346 136 54 12

68 04 05 06 07

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

What breaks

Transmission & Drivetrain 350 63.6%

Body & Structure 28 5.1%

Engine & Cooling 26 4.7%

Electrical System 23 4.2%

Seats 20 3.6%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 17 3.1%

Brakes 15 2.7%

Fuel & Propulsion 13 2.4%