Mercedes Benz SL550 vs Audi A4 Avant

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 SL550 Audi A4 Avant
Complaints on file 34 83
Model years covered 2011–2017 2009–2012
Worst model year — —
Best model year — —
Crashes reported 4 1
Fires reported 0 3
Injuries reported 0 1
Deaths reported 0 0
Most complained-about part Engine & Cooling Engine & Cooling
Share of complaints involving harm 11.8% 6%

Mercedes Benz SL550 by year

11 13 14 15 17
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 7 20.6%
Steering 6 17.6%
Wheels 6 17.6%
Transmission & Drivetrain 5 14.7%
Airbags 2 5.9%
Brakes 2 5.9%
Body & Structure 2 5.9%
Acceleration & Cruise Control 2 5.9%

Audi A4 Avant by year

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

What breaks

Engine & Cooling 35 42.2%
Other & Unspecified 10 12.0%
Fuel & Propulsion 7 8.4%
Transmission & Drivetrain 6 7.2%
Steering 6 7.2%
Electrical System 5 6.0%
Airbags 4 4.8%
Lights 2 2.4%