Chevrolet VAN vs BMW 323I

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 VAN	BMW 323I
Complaints on file	276	676
Model years covered	1983–2002	1985–2011
Worst model year	1995	2000
Best model year	1994	1998
Crashes reported	24	41
Fires reported	14	14
Injuries reported	21	43
Deaths reported	1	4
Most complained-about part	Brakes	Transmission & Drivetrain
Share of complaints involving harm	21.7%	15.1%

Chevrolet VAN by year

5 4 12 19 11 31 46 41 18 19 36 22 12

83 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02

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

What breaks

Brakes 62 22.5%

Engine & Cooling 31 11.2%

Tires 20 7.2%

Transmission & Drivetrain 18 6.5%

Electrical System 16 5.8%

Body & Structure 16 5.8%

Equipment & Accessories 16 5.8%

Fuel & Propulsion 14 5.1%

BMW 323I by year

1 27 175 459 3 3 4 3 1

85 98 99 00 01 07 08 10 11

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

What breaks

Transmission & Drivetrain 271 40.1%

Airbags 142 21.0%

Body & Structure 43 6.4%

Electrical System 30 4.4%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 25 3.7%

Suspension 19 2.8%

Doors, Latches & Locks 19 2.8%

Tires 18 2.7%