Mercedes-Benz 300 Series Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 46 consumer complaints across the 3 model years of the Mercedes-Benz 300 Series (1992–1995) that have at least 5 complaints. 1993 has the most, with 21. Across all years, the part named most often is electrical system (39 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All 300 Series model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 12 | 177,900 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 1993 | 21 | 151,000 | 0 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 1992 | 13 | 130,000 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Electrical system39 72%
- Engine cooling6 11%
- Fuel system3 5.6%
- Transmission and drivetrain2 3.7%
- Tires1 1.9%
- Body and structure1 1.9%
- Other or unknown1 1.9%
- Engine1 1.9%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1993: “I have two mercedes benz w124 cars. Both cars have had the wiring harness failure and that destroyed many very expensive electronic components on the cars. 1993 300e 4 door sedan, wiring harness failure and destroy many things very expensive on the car 1995 e320 cabriolet rare collectors convertible made in 1994 and 1995 only! Please send me two forms to fill out.”
NHTSA complaint #10403695, filed 2011-05, 178,000 miles1992: “I bought the car used.... I now know why the man was so eager to sell at such a reasonable price. Car continues to stall on me, after letting it sit and cool for approx. 20+ mins it will usually start. On one occasion the car seemed to be on fire, by the time I got pulled over, there was just a lot of smoke. After driving the car for anything over 5-10 mins it smells as if it were on fire.”
NHTSA complaint #10209057, filed 2007-11, 130,048 miles1995: “1995 Mercedes-Benz e300d wiring harness: temperature reading not accurate, though on the high side so I feel like the car is overheating but really not engine idle sensor inaccurate leading to reading of low RPM at idle and tachometer not always working other consequences: auxiliary fans motors blown due to fans running at high speed always instead of variable and intermittent. I took the car to the shop and was given the bad new about the wiring harness. Cost to replace the wiring harness and other incidentals: $2,250.”
NHTSA complaint #10226574, filed 2008-05, 299,000 milesOther Mercedes-Benz models
3,963 complaintsMercedes-Benz E350
2,215 complaintsMercedes-Benz E320
1,164 complaintsMercedes-Benz ML350
952 complaintsMercedes-Benz GLK350
901 complaintsMercedes-Benz ML320
740 complaintsMercedes-Benz C250
725 complaintsMercedes-Benz GLC 300
657 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology