FaultScore

Ford Escape HEV 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 Escape HEV BMW 545I
Complaints on file 80 198
Model years covered 2005–2007 2004–2005
Worst model year 2006
Best model year 2005
Crashes reported 2 4
Fires reported 0 3
Injuries reported 0 6
Deaths reported 0 0
Most complained-about part Brakes Airbags
Share of complaints involving harm 2.5% 6.6%

Ford Escape HEV by year

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

What breaks

Brakes 34 42.5%
Engine & Cooling 11 13.8%
Electrical System 10 12.5%
Transmission & Drivetrain 5 6.3%
Steering 5 6.3%
Body & Structure 3 3.8%
Suspension 3 3.8%
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 2 2.5%

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%