FaultScore

Chevrolet K10 vs BMW 535XI

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 Chevrolet K10 BMW 535XI
Complaints on file 90 223
Model years covered 1975–1999 2007–2013
Worst model year 2008
Best model year 2012
Crashes reported 9 1
Fires reported 3 12
Injuries reported 6 6
Deaths reported 1 0
Most complained-about part Brakes Engine & Cooling
Share of complaints involving harm 21.1% 8.5%

Chevrolet K10 by year

75 77 81 85 86 87 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Brakes 17 18.9%
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 12 13.3%
Seats 12 13.3%
Fuel & Propulsion 9 10.0%
Tires 8 8.9%
Transmission & Drivetrain 6 6.7%
Airbags 5 5.6%
Seat Belts 5 5.6%

BMW 535XI by year

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%
Airbags 21 9.4%
Transmission & Drivetrain 18 8.1%
Tires 18 8.1%
Lights 14 6.3%
Wheels 13 5.8%