FaultScore

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 HD vs BMW 5 Series

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 Silverado 1500 HD BMW 5 Series
Complaints on file 223 556
Model years covered 2001–2005 1989–2012
Worst model year 2003 2006
Best model year 2004 2003
Crashes reported 9 26
Fires reported 3 25
Injuries reported 5 22
Deaths reported 0 1
Most complained-about part Brakes Airbags
Share of complaints involving harm 7.6% 13.3%

Chevrolet Silverado 1500 HD by year

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

What breaks

Brakes 93 41.7%
Engine & Cooling 17 7.6%
Steering 16 7.2%
Fuel & Propulsion 14 6.3%
Transmission & Drivetrain 12 5.4%
Body & Structure 5 2.2%
Acceleration & Cruise Control 3 1.3%

BMW 5 Series by year

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

What breaks

Airbags 96 17.3%
Engine & Cooling 67 12.1%
Tires 43 7.7%
Steering 32 5.8%
Brakes 22 4.0%