Mercedes Benz C280 vs Chevrolet Pickup

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 C280	Chevrolet Pickup
Complaints on file	235	585
Model years covered	1994–2007	1972–2003
Worst model year	2007	1997
Best model year	1994	2003
Crashes reported	14	42
Fires reported	18	7
Injuries reported	8	24
Deaths reported	0	0
Most complained-about part	Engine & Cooling	Brakes
Share of complaints involving harm	17%	12.5%

Mercedes Benz C280 by year

14 25 8 8 21 45 4 41 69

94 95 96 97 98 99 00 06 07

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

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 49 20.9%

Electrical System 47 20.0%

Fuel & Propulsion 30 12.8%

Suspension 15 6.4%

Other & Unspecified 15 6.4%

Transmission & Drivetrain 13 5.5%

Airbags 13 5.5%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 12 5.1%

Chevrolet Pickup by year

4 2 2 1 13 17 8 60 90 75 113 60 51 37 19 21 12

72 73 75 78 90 91 92 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03

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

What breaks

Brakes 126 21.5%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 106 18.1%

Tires 62 10.6%

Fuel & Propulsion 40 6.8%

Transmission & Drivetrain 34 5.8%

Steering 34 5.8%

Engine & Cooling 26 4.4%

Electrical System 25 4.3%