FaultScore

Mercedes Benz E400 vs BMW 545I

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 E400 BMW 545I
Complaints on file 80 198
Model years covered 2015–2017 2004–2005
Worst model year 2015
Best model year 2017
Crashes reported 5 4
Fires reported 0 3
Injuries reported 4 6
Deaths reported 0 0
Most complained-about part Airbags Airbags
Share of complaints involving harm 11.3% 6.6%

Mercedes Benz E400 by year

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

What breaks

Airbags 46 57.5%
Electrical System 5 6.3%
Steering 5 6.3%
Other & Unspecified 4 5.0%
Engine & Cooling 3 3.8%
Brakes 3 3.8%
Body & Structure 3 3.8%
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance 3 3.8%

BMW 545I by year

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

What breaks

Airbags 56 28.3%
Transmission & Drivetrain 23 11.6%
Engine & Cooling 17 8.6%
Brakes 15 7.6%
Seat Belts 14 7.1%
Steering 9 4.5%
Seats 7 3.5%