Mercedes Benz 320 vs Nissan 350Z

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	Nissan 350Z
Complaints on file	332	815
Model years covered	1994–2002	2003–2009
Worst model year	1994	2004
Best model year	2001	2008
Crashes reported	17	42
Fires reported	13	6
Injuries reported	22	28
Deaths reported	6	1
Most complained-about part	Electrical System	Suspension
Share of complaints involving harm	17.5%	9.4%

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%

Nissan 350Z by year

349 177 102 67 86 28 6

03 04 05 06 07 08 09

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

What breaks

Suspension 149 18.3%

Transmission & Drivetrain 143 17.5%

Engine & Cooling 119 14.6%

Tires 112 13.7%

Airbags 89 10.9%

Fuel & Propulsion 39 4.8%

Wheels 34 4.2%

Electrical System 24 2.9%