FaultScore

Ford E150 vs Mercedes Benz S430

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 Ford E150 Mercedes Benz S430
Complaints on file 113 282
Model years covered 1976–2006 2000–2006
Worst model year 2001
Best model year 2004
Crashes reported 2 7
Fires reported 26 11
Injuries reported 3 3
Deaths reported 1 0
Most complained-about part Electrical System Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm 28.3% 7.4%

Ford E150 by year

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

What breaks

Fuel & Propulsion 21 18.6%
Tires 14 12.4%
Engine & Cooling 10 8.8%
Steering 6 5.3%
Brakes 5 4.4%
Acceleration & Cruise Control 5 4.4%
Transmission & Drivetrain 3 2.7%

Mercedes Benz S430 by year

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

What breaks

Electrical System 106 37.6%
Lights 38 13.5%
Suspension 31 11.0%
Transmission & Drivetrain 17 6.0%
Acceleration & Cruise Control 14 5.0%
Body & Structure 11 3.9%
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 10 3.5%
Engine & Cooling 7 2.5%