BMW M Roadster vs Ford Club Wagon

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 M Roadster	Ford Club Wagon
Complaints on file	88	220
Model years covered	1998–2008	1985–2001
Worst model year	2000	1997
Best model year	1999	1993
Crashes reported	13	16
Fires reported	9	14
Injuries reported	0	8
Deaths reported	0	1
Most complained-about part	Body & Structure	Brakes
Share of complaints involving harm	25%	17.7%

BMW M Roadster by year

22 24 29 6 6 1

98 99 00 01 02 08

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

What breaks

Body & Structure 42 47.7%

Transmission & Drivetrain 13 14.8%

Suspension 8 9.1%

Engine & Cooling 5 5.7%

Airbags 5 5.7%

Equipment & Accessories 3 3.4%

Electrical System 2 2.3%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 2 2.3%

Ford Club Wagon by year

1 2 1 1 9 5 5 18 15 24 23 24 40 35 9 6 2

85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01

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

What breaks

Brakes 59 26.8%

Engine & Cooling 29 13.2%

Tires 18 8.2%

Electrical System 17 7.7%

Fuel & Propulsion 13 5.9%

Steering 12 5.5%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 12 5.5%

Transmission & Drivetrain 10 4.5%