10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
83,273 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #17

Sep 092018

E320

  • 123,000 miles
Battery light came on so it was charged then reconnected, everything good, turn key to on position everything good, turn key to start and bang! loud bang and white smoke everywhere, engine continued to smoke for several minutes after explosion, hole in front of engine

- Temecula Ca, CA, USA

problem #16

Jan 042017

E320

  • 195,100 miles
The car is being hacked into by multiple individuals across triple cities. The hackers are able to lock and unlock the doors, shift gears, turn on the check engine light, control the radio and cd player, open the hood to steal oil and control the complete functionality of the car. Including turning on the cabin lights, blacking out the odometer along with the fuel gauge, and shutting the car off when desired this includes in the middle of the street. Because they can unlock the doors and roll down the windows they have access to the hood and gas door. This allowed them to break the radiator, damage the catalytic converter, and steal gas. Also since the hackers have access they have destroyed the drivers seat, crack the wood on the steering wheel and door trim, removed the right and left front doors, and destroyed the center arm rest. The rf field is controlled by them, and loud cracking sounds are remotely introduced when the car is stationary and key removed. The tele- aid is also activities remotely on occasion as well. The fbi has been notified numerous times to no avail along with the car maker who told me not to contact them again. Three dealerships checked out the car and none knew how to deal with the issue. Mercedes Benz in germany was notified by emai and said Mercedes usa has my information I'm their legal department. This was over 2 years ago with no contact from them regarding this issue. All attempts to reach them by phone via customer service has failed. Multiple police reports have been made with several police departments.

- Glendale, CA, USA

problem #15

Feb 032018

E320

  • 195,000 miles
There is a high level of rf being emitted inside the cabin of the car. The level is so high it pushes pulsed rf waves against an aluminum emergency blanket that was set up to identify which direction it was coming from. This method showed it is coming from multiple direction within the cabin. This is with the engine off and windows rolled up. Also lf L leave the car and come back within less than a minute the climate inside will knock me out, or make me very sleepy. I have to immediately get out of the car and walk 50 to 70 feet away from it to stop this from happening if L catch it in time. Most of the time L do not and someone is using this defect to steal items from the car, destroy the interior ad along with a host of illegal activity while L am passed out inside.because this dangerous activity happens 90 percent of the time the rf may be remotely controlled. Also L have almost been knocked out while driving on several different occasions. Thanks to jesus christ L was able to pull the car over and recover. In addition the rf will isolate and freeze different body parts individually similar to the therapeutic procedure of cool sculpting. Multiple police reports have been made and the dealership notified. The car marker was notified by phone but refuse to help.

- Glendale, CA, USA

problem #14

Jan 202017

E320

  • 143,000 miles
Headlight and engine wiring deteriorating beyond repair! dangerous and may cause sudden crash or fire.,.

- Aiea, HI, USA

problem #13

Sep 012013

E320

  • 181,514 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320. While the vehicle was stationary, it was hacked into electronically. The brakes, air bags, radio, and all other electrical functions were able to be controlled, including the vehicle's software. The manufacturer and dealer were unable to assist. The failure mileage was 181,514.

- Glendale, CA, USA

problem #12

Dec 012016

E320

  • 145,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320. The brakes failed to respond when the brake pedal was depressed and the battery warning indicator flashed on the instrument panel. The manufacturer indicated that the statute to receive an extended service campaign expired; therefore, they refused to repair the vehicle. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 05V133000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The approximate failure mileage was 145,000.

- Covington, GA, USA

problem #11

Aug 032015

E320

  • 88,700 miles
Bought used one owner car w/88,500 miles in July 2015. After driving only 200 miles check engine light came on, engine would turn over but not start, it was towed to repair shop. Codes read crankshaft sensor, generator. Mechanic replaced crankshaft sensor and repaired wire to it. Did not replace alternator. Called and advised car was ready for pickup. Picked up car and drove less than 2 miles and check engine light came on again. Took back to mechanic who removed codes. Drove another 5 miles and check engine light came on again. He didn't answer phone, drove home in limp mode where it sat for over a month when another mechanic was willing to tackle job. He put on new alternator and drive belt. Crankshaft sensor was bad again and he replaced it. Car would not start. Towed to mb in franklin, tn who said ECM/ ECU module bad. Replaced it and then said batteries bad, and alternator bad. They replaced batteries but local mechanic told them alternator was working fine when it was put in car. Car towed back to local mechanic who checked and said alternator was indeed bad now and he replaced it with one he checked out again before installing. Now the alternator was not being allowed to charge the system and is being towed back to mb in franklin, tn. After searching the internet I found that mb has been installing defective wiring harnesses in their cars since the 1990's and they know it but will only replace the defective harness to those to yell the loudest because there are supposedly millions on cars on the road just waiting to short out expensive parts and cause owners costly repairs. I am yelling at the top of my voice for you to go after them with a vengeance and make them do the repairs. I have spent over $4000. Already on this car which should have been fixed by them at their expense. The covering on the wires gets brittle and shorts out various..

- Shelbyville, TN, USA

problem #10

Oct 202006

E320

  • 68,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes Benz E320. The contact stated that the fuel gauge and the speedometer gauge displayed inaccurate readings on the instrument panel. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 08V303000 (electrical system). The dealer did not recode the scn, but rather emptied the fuel tank and replaced the fuel and the fuel lever sensor. The failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was also not included in NHTSA action number: EA13003 (fuel system, gasoline). The contact reported the safety concern with the air bag sensor, which was not included in PE: 10017 (air bags and electrical system). The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer more than twice, but the failures persist. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.

- Burbank, CA, USA

problem #9

Oct 032011

E320

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes Benz E320. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, the fuel gauge displayed erroneous readings. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the fuel system had failed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who stated that the fuel injection and fuel gauge needed to be replaced. In addition, the contact stated that after only driving one block the speedometer would display one mile. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

- Burbank , CA, USA

problem #8

Mar 072006

E320

  • 24,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Mercedes Benz E320. The contact stated that there was a daily occurrence of massive rfid leak which caused pain to the contact. The contact mentioned the only way to protect from the pain was to cover the body with aluminum shielding or metal. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would fail to start intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the failure was unable to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 24,000 and the current mileage was 153,000.

- Burbank , CA, USA

problem #7

Apr 152011

E320

  • 62,000 miles
Vehicle was acting normally up to incident. Entering highway accelerating like normal and pulled out in front of tractor trailer when suddenly car had dramatic and frightening loss of power. Full throttle did nothing. Downshifting did nothing. With truck horns blaring and near collision, I pulled off the road. Restarting cleared the problem. Dramatic loss of power has occurred three more times with no warning nor check engine light. Now light comes on with egr out of range code. Discussing this with other Mercedes diesel owners points towards soot clogged egr valve and soot clogged intake manifold. How such a problem could occur so frequently at such a low mileage with a company known for diesels is unknown.

- Fort Mill, SC, USA

problem #6

Jul 122010

E320

  • 51,000 miles
2005 Mercedes E320 steering column wiring failure ( 'clock spring" & steering wiring module & SRS air bag "failure). Partial repair corrected loss of turn signals, horn and speedometer at a cost to me ( owner of $749.). one day later SRS (air bag fail indicator) came on again. Back to dealer who said a wiring harness in the steering column is also bad & needs to be replaced at an additional fee of $516. But that they would do repair for $429. "?? did not affect repair yet. Just noticed defect investigation?? what should I do ?" (failure light for SRS is still on etc.). can I recover (past $749) and future? ($516 / $429) costs"?"

- Kennett Square, PA, USA

problem #5

Oct 102008

E320

  • 33,500 miles
My brake has metal grinding noise and no dash board warning light showing problems. It has some dragging when brakes.

- Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #4

Jan 072005

E320 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 820 miles
Electrical problems out of service 18 days, SRS/airbag failures out of service 18 days, ac/defrost blower motor failures out of service 12 days, brakes out of service 9 days, transmission (idle surge/up shifting/stalling) out of service 10 days, front end/tires out of service 10 days. During the lemon law final repair attempt, the dealer wrote on work order that they had installed new brakes because they found "after market brakes" on car. The only place the car has ever been serviced was the dealership where we purchased it. We asked the service advisor and assistant service manager (first they said the brakes were thrown out and then they said the parts were shipped to mb) and wrote two certified letters to Mercedes Benz for the removed parts so we could track the serial numbers. We were ignored. The regional representative who initiated the "brake replacement" was conveniently "promoted out of the area" just before the lemon law hearing so he could not be questioned. We had been complaining about the brakes, especially the stopping distance, from the beginning and they kept saying no problem found. The dealer would not document it on the work orders.

- Palm City, FL, USA

problem #3

Oct 012005

E320 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 5,000 miles
: the contact stated while driving 20 mph the engine stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealership for inspection. Upon inspection, the dealership was unable to duplicate the problem and no repairs were made. The manufacturer was alerted. The consumer stated the air bag and engine light illuminated. Updated 03/28/06.

- Delray Beach, FL, USA

problem #2

Jan 152005

E320 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Brakes grind when put in drive, park and at stop lights. Seat belt indicator had to be fixed after 5 times at the shop, brakes were identified with a problem by mbz after 6 visits to the shop (fletcher jones mbz las vegas), tech stated on the invoice he identified the problem and ordered the parts. When I took the car back in to get the parts, the service manager stated there was a mistake and there was nothing wrong with the brakes and mbz would not fix the problem. Currently none of the seat belts work (when slamming on the brakes they do not lock). Control panel reads "SRS malfunction drive to shop", "airbags off", "check engine". fletcher jones mbz las vegas refuses to comply with the lemon law, repair for one malfunction more than 3 times, out of service (in the shop) for more than 30 days in one calendar year.

- Las Vegas , NV, USA

problem #1

Apr 222005

E320

  • miles
I recently purchased a new Mercedes with a gps. In my opinion, the device is a serious safety hazard and will cause countless accidents in its present state. For example, when I was at the zoo on conn. Ave. In D.C. and programmed the device to get to reagan national, it insisted on taking conn. Ave. Downtown and cutting across to 14th St. I elected to take rock creek parkway to the memorial bridge and then down rt. 110. Within a quarter of a mile after entering rock creek, the device was telling me to make a left. Absent an atv, this illegal turn could not be performed. Additionally, where it wanted me to go was an on-ramp (with a do not enter sign) for traffic traveling in the opposite direction. A little later it suggested a right turn into a steep embankment. Finally, as I was passing the kennedy center it suggested a left turn into it. Only when I reached the memorial bridge did it decide to recalculate the route. The problem, as I see it, is that a fair percentage of drivers will blindly follow the verbal instructions with serious consequences. Incidentally, talking with the salesman about this problem, he told me that they all ready had a woman drive into a lake. My verbalization of this problem is totally inadequate therefore I invite one or more of your staffers in D.C. for a test ride.

- Arlington, VA, USA