FaultScore

Mercedes Benz C350 vs BMW X3 SAV

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 C350 BMW X3 SAV
Complaints on file 138 343
Model years covered 2010–2017 2007–2012
Worst model year 2010 2007
Best model year 2013 2011
Crashes reported 4 12
Fires reported 2 33
Injuries reported 3 28
Deaths reported 0 0
Most complained-about part Airbags Airbags
Share of complaints involving harm 6.5% 21.3%

Mercedes Benz C350 by year

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

What breaks

Airbags 80 58.0%
Fuel & Propulsion 10 7.2%
Other & Unspecified 8 5.8%
Engine & Cooling 7 5.1%
Transmission & Drivetrain 6 4.3%
Electrical System 6 4.3%
Body & Structure 5 3.6%
Steering 4 2.9%

BMW X3 SAV by year

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

What breaks

Airbags 99 28.9%
Seats 51 14.9%
Engine & Cooling 42 12.2%
Steering 11 3.2%
Fuel & Propulsion 9 2.6%
Body & Structure 8 2.3%