BMW Z3 vs Ford Transit Connect

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 Z3	Ford Transit Connect
Complaints on file	299	742
Model years covered	1996–2003	2010–2023
Worst model year	1997	2014
Best model year	2001	2021
Crashes reported	17	27
Fires reported	10	9
Injuries reported	31	16
Deaths reported	3	0
Most complained-about part	Airbags	Transmission & Drivetrain
Share of complaints involving harm	20.4%	7%

BMW Z3 by year

34 66 45 56 54 31 9 4

96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03

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

What breaks

Airbags 59 19.7%

Seat Belts 35 11.7%

Seats 34 11.4%

Transmission & Drivetrain 27 9.0%

Body & Structure 25 8.4%

Electrical System 18 6.0%

Suspension 18 6.0%

Engine & Cooling 17 5.7%

Ford Transit Connect by year

56 30 35 38 159 79 146 33 32 72 40 14 7 1

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

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

What breaks

Transmission & Drivetrain 99 13.3%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 76 10.2%

Other & Unspecified 75 10.1%

Brakes 73 9.8%

Electrical System 71 9.6%

Body & Structure 67 9.0%

Engine & Cooling 62 8.4%

Steering 32 4.3%