FaultScore

Ford E550 vs BMW 545I

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 545I
Complaints on file 80 198
Model years covered 2003–2003 2004–2005
Worst model year
Best model year
Crashes reported 9 4
Fires reported 3 3
Injuries reported 9 6
Deaths reported 0 0
Most complained-about part Engine & Cooling Airbags
Share of complaints involving harm 26.3% 6.6%

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 545I by year

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

What breaks

Airbags 56 28.3%
Transmission & Drivetrain 23 11.6%
Engine & Cooling 17 8.6%
Brakes 15 7.6%
Seat Belts 14 7.1%
Steering 9 4.5%
Seats 7 3.5%