Mercedes Benz 280 vs Infiniti Q45

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	Mercedes Benz 280	Infiniti Q45
Complaints on file	124	307
Model years covered	1994–2000	1990–2005
Worst model year	1995	1994
Best model year	1994	1997
Crashes reported	14	37
Fires reported	10	15
Injuries reported	10	24
Deaths reported	0	0
Most complained-about part	Electrical System	Electrical System
Share of complaints involving harm	27.4%	24.8%

Mercedes Benz 280 by year

23 65 15 6 4 4 7

94 95 96 97 98 99 00

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

What breaks

Electrical System 46 37.1%

Engine & Cooling 14 11.3%

Airbags 9 7.3%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 8 6.5%

Fuel & Propulsion 7 5.6%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 7 5.6%

Brakes 5 4.0%

Transmission & Drivetrain 4 3.2%

Infiniti Q45 by year

33 49 34 3 47 8 8 13 16 10 13 5 29 20 14 5

90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05

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

What breaks

Electrical System 41 13.4%

Engine & Cooling 33 10.7%

Transmission & Drivetrain 33 10.7%

Airbags 28 9.1%

Brakes 21 6.8%

Suspension 20 6.5%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 19 6.2%

Fuel & Propulsion 15 4.9%