Saturn SW 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	Saturn SW	BMW 323I
Complaints on file	274	676
Model years covered	1992–2001	1985–2011
Worst model year	1994	2000
Best model year	2000	1998
Crashes reported	41	41
Fires reported	12	14
Injuries reported	30	43
Deaths reported	2	4
Most complained-about part	Brakes	Transmission & Drivetrain
Share of complaints involving harm	31%	15.1%

Saturn SW by year

2 35 41 52 31 35 31 23 18 6

92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01

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

What breaks

Brakes 47 17.2%

Engine & Cooling 36 13.1%

Transmission & Drivetrain 27 9.9%

Electrical System 24 8.8%

Seats 21 7.7%

Acceleration & Cruise Control 17 6.2%

Seat Belts 17 6.2%

Airbags 15 5.5%

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%