Mercedes-Benz C280 Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 166 consumer complaints across the 7 model years of the Mercedes-Benz C280 (1994–2007) that have at least 5 complaints. 2007 has the most, with 56. Across all years, the part named most often is electrical system (41 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All C280 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 56 | 61,500 | 4 | 62 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2006 | 29 | 94,000 | 4 | 60 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1999 | 34 | 76,000 | 0 | 10 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1998 | 15 | 182,873 | 0 | 10 | — | Stable |
| 1997 | 7 | 85,225 | 0 | 10 | — | Not enough data |
| 1995 | 16 | 142,000 | 0 | 6 | — | Falling |
| 1994 | 9 | 167,500 | 0 | 6 | — | 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 system41 25%
- Engine33 20%
- Fuel system29 17%
- Other or unknown14 8.4%
- Engine cooling14 8.4%
- Transmission and drivetrain13 7.8%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)12 7.2%
- Suspension11 6.6%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2007: “My car ran hot and everything on the inside began to flicker. I pulled over and turned the car off to let it cool. When I turned it back on the check engine light was on with the emfamous p0016 and p0017 codes ad I later found out and it has not run thw same since. If drags, shifts incorrectly, and pulls wrong now.”
NHTSA complaint #11415688, filed 2021-05, 110,000 miles2006: “While trying to merge on the highway the car response slowly when trying to accelerate to highway speed the engine over rev's but no power the same happens when changing lanes. While reversing out of a driveway the car locked up both the engine and steering wheel would not I had to turn in on and off several times and the put it back in drive before I was able to finally reverse this incident placed my life in danger because when the car locked up half of it was on the driveway and the other half in the street impeding traffic. …”
NHTSA complaint #11405096, filed 2021-03, 135,000 miles1995: “The wiring harness shorted and caught fire. The engine shut off and I hit a pole on the side of the road after loss of steering. I hit my head on the steering wheel. I have a check engine light now, and they want me to spend thousands of dollars on an electrical wiring harness for the engine.”
NHTSA complaint #10497708, filed 2013-02, 150,000 milesOther Mercedes-Benz models
3,965 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
659 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology