FaultScore

Mercedes Benz 560 vs BMW 1 Series

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 560 BMW 1 Series
Complaints on file 54 134
Model years covered 1985–1994 2000–2011
Worst model year 2011
Best model year 2010
Crashes reported 18 4
Fires reported 5 4
Injuries reported 13 0
Deaths reported 0 0
Most complained-about part Acceleration & Cruise Control Airbags
Share of complaints involving harm 66.7% 6%

Mercedes Benz 560 by year

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

What breaks

Acceleration & Cruise Control 17 31.5%
Engine & Cooling 8 14.8%
Airbags 7 13.0%
Brakes 5 9.3%
Electrical System 3 5.6%
Fuel & Propulsion 3 5.6%
Transmission & Drivetrain 2 3.7%
Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 2 3.7%

BMW 1 Series by year

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

What breaks

Airbags 39 29.1%
Electrical System 18 13.4%
Lights 16 11.9%
Fuel & Propulsion 10 7.5%
Engine & Cooling 9 6.7%
Steering 6 4.5%
Seats 5 3.7%
Other & Unspecified 5 3.7%