Mercedes Benz 320 vs BMW 530I

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 320	BMW 530I
Complaints on file	332	808
Model years covered	1994–2002	1994–2025
Worst model year	1994	2004
Best model year	2001	1994
Crashes reported	17	56
Fires reported	13	55
Injuries reported	22	43
Deaths reported	6	0
Most complained-about part	Electrical System	Airbags
Share of complaints involving harm	17.5%	19.1%

Mercedes Benz 320 by year

64 39 15 27 54 45 25 41 22

94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02

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

What breaks

Electrical System 95 28.6%

Engine & Cooling 30 9.0%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 27 8.1%

Airbags 25 7.5%

Steering 19 5.7%

Brakes 19 5.7%

Lights 19 5.7%

Transmission & Drivetrain 17 5.1%

BMW 530I by year

12 7 29 32 61 175 84 128 109 25 38 28 15 20 10 5 27 3

94 95 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

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

What breaks

Airbags 205 25.4%

Electrical System 106 13.1%

Engine & Cooling 89 11.0%

Seats 67 8.3%

Seat Belts 43 5.3%

Brakes 41 5.1%

Transmission & Drivetrain 39 4.8%

Lights 38 4.7%