1995 Mercedes-Benz C220 Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe brittle or cracked engine wiring harness insulation, which they link to stalling, power loss, and check engine or gauge faults. Other reports include airbags that did not deploy in crashes and unintended acceleration or failure to slow down, though these appear less often. Mileage is high in many complaints, so the condition of the wiring matters as much as the odometer reading.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Engine wiring harness insulation breakdown

   • 31 complaints (58%)
   • median 115,000 mi at 13.2 yrs old (26 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2004–2018

   Owners describe the engine wiring harness with brittle or crumbling insulation, exposed or cracked wires, and short circuits, and some report a spark or fire at the wiring. Many complaints say an independent mechanic or the dealer found the harness deteriorated and recommended replacing it, and some describe the quoted repair costs as high. Some owners say the dealer knew of the problem but did not disclose it at sale, and others say the dealer would not guarantee the warning light would stay off after a repair. Reported mileage ranges from about 8,200 to about 209,000 miles, with many above 100,000, and the insulation is described as worsening over time.

   What to check: Ask for records of any engine wiring harness repair or replacement, and inspect the wiring insulation under the hood for cracking or flaking before buying. Get an independent inspection before buying, since owners describe the repair as costly.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Mercedes benz knows about these faulty wiring harnesses and refuses to own up to their faults. These faults place the owner and others at risk as they can cause shorts, a poor running car with shorting issues, or even cause a fire. I would be happy if mercedes would just give us a new wiring harness, I would install it myself and they would not have lost anything.”

   NHTSA complaint #10572721, filed 2014-03, 191,000 miles

   “I have a 1995 mercedes benz C220 automatic 4 cylinders. I had my engine check lights on and I went to the dealer to check and was told that the engine wire harness was bad and needed to be replaced. I was told that it would cost me more than $1700 to replace it. This is not a matter of replacement when it comes to engine wire harness which controls the ecu and can cause danger to our lives. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10237170, filed 2008-08, 150,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Sudden stalling or power loss while driving

   • 19 complaints (36%)
   • median 98,000 mi at 12.5 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • filed 1998–2015

   Owners describe the engine stalling or losing power without warning, often at highway speed, and sometimes while starting off, in traffic, or at an intersection. Some say the engine restarted after a few minutes or stalled repeatedly, and others say it would not restart at all after stalling. In one complaint the loss of power left the driver unable to control the car, which then hit a mailbox. Reported mileage ranges from about 8,200 to about 209,000 miles, and several stalls are described at speeds between about 35 and 65 mph.

   What to check: Ask whether the car has stalled or lost power in traffic, and whether the engine wiring was diagnosed for it. On a test drive, watch for rough idle, surging, or check engine warnings during acceleration and at idle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The car frequently has very erratic idle to the engine. It dies while warming up and dies while driving on the road regardless local or freeway. Today, (again!!!) while I was driving on the freeway, the engine lost its power and almost got kill over other cars. I was told by mechanics that I need to replace the engine wiring harness in my 1995 mercedes C220 with 107k mi due to faulty manufacture wire insulation which cracks and opens up during hot engine heat. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10199475, filed 2007-08, 92,000 miles

   “The engine wiring harness insulation in my 1995 mercedes benz C220 has deteriorated to the point of dust. This resulted in the car staling at over 35 MPH, and my wife being put in harms way when the car lost power. She could no longer control the vehicle and hit a mailbox. I would like to state that the dealership says that they had never seen anything like this when they discovered the entire wiring harness was destroyed, but yet there are numerous reports of mercedes benz's unforgivable ignorance to this subject. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10244350, filed 2008-10, 120,000 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Check engine light and gauge or display faults

   • 8 complaints (15%)
   • median 92,000 mi at 11.9 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2010

   Owners describe the check engine light coming on and staying on, and speedometer, temperature, or fuel gauges that work only intermittently or not at all. In one case the speedometer stuck at zero until a certain speed was reached. One complaint describes a display or radio unit that went dead, and a dealer or mechanic linked some of these faults to the wiring. Mileage is given for some of these complaints, from about 35,000 to about 150,000 miles, and the light and gauge faults are described as intermittent.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the check engine light and gauge faults were diagnosed and whether any stored fault codes were recorded. Ask whether the display service bulletin for a dark COMAND screen was applied, since one complaint describes a dead display.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I purchased my C220 in 1995 from a dealer in north carolina. Within three years the lcd became nonfunctional(radio and tapes became dead). In fourth year the check engine light came on, I took it to dealership, they fixed and charged huge amount but after a month or so it came on again. I was told at the dealership to change wire harness but they were not able to give a guarantee that the check engine light will not come on so I didn't get that service. Till today I am driving my car with check engine light on and nothing have happened. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10339248, filed 2010-06, 35,000 miles

   “I purchased a 1995 mercedes C220 from a mercedes dealer and they knew the car had a wiring harness that was degrading with exposed conductors through out the car... But they didn't tell me , after I bought the car and was having tons of electrical problems I found out the history of this model ..the mb dealer told me the wiring harness could be replaced for about $3000.00 ... A month or so after I bought the car. Randomly the speedometer,ABS,temp gauge ,fuel gauge, tachometer do function, but rarely and not all at once.”

   NHTSA complaint #10210921, filed 2007-12
4. 4
   Air bags

   Airbags not deploying in crashes

   Mentioned in 4 of 44 sampled complaints

   Owners describe airbags that did not deploy in impacts, including a spin into a barrier, a collision into a ditch and trees, and a rear-end collision where the seat belt did not properly secure the occupant. In one multi-vehicle collision the driver airbag did not deploy while the passenger airbag did, and the owner asks whether that was correct for this car. Mileage is given only for the rear-end collision, at about 160,000 miles.

   What to check: Ask whether the airbag and restraint system have been checked for stored fault codes, and confirm the airbag warning lamp goes out after startup. Ask for any collision history, since owners describe airbags that did not deploy in impacts.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “C220 was proceeding north when struck in the center front and driver side front by a second vehicle moving south. Second vehicle was proceeding east when struck by third vehicle which propelled second vehicle into C220. Estimated speeds of other vehicles were: 2nd = 40 MPH and 3rd = 50 MPH. In the C220 the driver airbag did not deploy and the passenger airbag did deploy. The airbags on the other vehicles deployed. Is the airbag deployment for the C220 correct?”

   NHTSA complaint #747726, filed 2001-07

   “While driving 50 MPH the vehicle hit a ditch and trees. Upon impact, airbags did not deploy which did not protect the occupant. Please provide further information.”

   NHTSA complaint #842351, filed 1999-07
5. 5
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration or failure to slow down

   • 5 complaints (9%)
   • median 142,353 mi at 9.4 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2004

   Owners describe the car accelerating on its own or not slowing down, including with cruise control on at highway speed, where speeds over 100 mph were reached before the car was stopped. In one case the car accelerated after the lever was placed in park during a car wash and struck another vehicle. One complaint says the cruise and brake systems seemed overridden, and another says a rusted accelerator spring mechanism kept the car from slowing at highway speed. Where mileage is given, it is about 142,000 miles, and the other reports do not state mileage.

   What to check: Ask whether the cruise control, throttle linkage, and brake system have been checked for faults, and whether the accelerator return spring was inspected. On a test drive, check that the cruise control disengages cleanly when the brake is pressed and that the throttle returns to idle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Sudden acceleration due to loss of cruise control and braking system due to computer overide. Had to put in nuetral at 110mph and shut off engine to coast to stop. Luckily I was on a straight texas state farm road with out traffic in front of me to write this complaint. Mercedes benz was called and are suppose to investigate the reason for this malfunction.”

   NHTSA complaint #10057115, filed 2004-02, 142,353 miles

   “While driving at 65 MPH with cruise control on suddenly vehicle accelerated at a high rate of speed. Consumer noted that the vehicle reached over 110 MPH before it could be stopped. Consumer had to roll the vehicle in the mud to slow it down and stop it.”

   NHTSA complaint #10058056, filed 2004-02, 142,000 miles

Buying note. For this model year, ask for proof that the engine wiring harness has been inspected or replaced, and look for cracked or flaking insulation under the hood before buying. Test drive the car for stalling, rough idle, and check engine warnings, since these are the symptoms owners describe most often.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 44 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.