Mercedes Benz 420 vs BMW 535XI

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 420	BMW 535XI
Complaints on file	91	223
Model years covered	1986–1999	2007–2013
Worst model year	1997	2008
Best model year	1999	2012
Crashes reported	9	1
Fires reported	4	12
Injuries reported	3	6
Deaths reported	0	0
Most complained-about part	Electrical System	Engine & Cooling
Share of complaints involving harm	17.6%	8.5%

Mercedes Benz 420 by year

9 3 1 2 3 4 17 16 2 24 10

86 87 88 89 90 91 94 95 96 97 99

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

What breaks

Electrical System 15 16.5%

Suspension 13 14.3%

Brakes 7 7.7%

Engine & Cooling 6 6.6%

Transmission & Drivetrain 6 6.6%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 6 6.6%

Fuel & Propulsion 5 5.5%

Equipment & Accessories 4 4.4%

BMW 535XI by year

1 123 26 44 23 6

07 08 10 11 12 13

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

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 31 13.9%

Electrical System 30 13.5%

Fuel & Propulsion 30 13.5%

Airbags 21 9.4%

Transmission & Drivetrain 18 8.1%

Tires 18 8.1%

Lights 14 6.3%

Wheels 13 5.8%