FaultScore

Ford E550 vs BMW 135I

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 E550 BMW 135I
Complaints on file 80 199
Model years covered 2003–2003 2007–2013
Worst model year 2008
Best model year 2012
Crashes reported 9 5
Fires reported 3 5
Injuries reported 9 3
Deaths reported 0 0
Most complained-about part Engine & Cooling Fuel & Propulsion
Share of complaints involving harm 26.3% 6.5%

Ford E550 by year

03
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 22 27.5%
Transmission & Drivetrain 10 12.5%
Tires 9 11.3%
Fuel & Propulsion 8 10.0%
Electrical System 7 8.8%
Airbags 6 7.5%
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 5 6.3%
Brakes 3 3.8%

BMW 135I by year

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

What breaks

Airbags 37 18.6%
Engine & Cooling 33 16.6%
Electrical System 20 10.1%
Transmission & Drivetrain 13 6.5%
Lights 10 5.0%
Other & Unspecified 7 3.5%
Wheels 6 3.0%