Mercedes Benz GL450 vs BMW 323I

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 GL450	BMW 323I
Complaints on file	273	676
Model years covered	2007–2009	1985–2011
Worst model year	2007	2000
Best model year	2009	1998
Crashes reported	19	41
Fires reported	47	14
Injuries reported	31	43
Deaths reported	0	4
Most complained-about part	Seats	Transmission & Drivetrain
Share of complaints involving harm	35.5%	15.1%

Mercedes Benz GL450 by year

162 89 22

07 08 09

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

What breaks

Seats 42 15.4%

Electrical System 32 11.7%

Steering 31 11.4%

Suspension 29 10.6%

Transmission & Drivetrain 21 7.7%

Engine & Cooling 20 7.3%

Brakes 20 7.3%

Airbags 17 6.2%

BMW 323I by year

1 27 175 459 3 3 4 3 1

85 98 99 00 01 07 08 10 11

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

What breaks

Transmission & Drivetrain 271 40.1%

Airbags 142 21.0%

Body & Structure 43 6.4%

Electrical System 30 4.4%

Windows, Mirrors & Wipers 25 3.7%

Suspension 19 2.8%

Doors, Latches & Locks 19 2.8%

Tires 18 2.7%