Mercedes-Benz E Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 22 consumer complaints across the 3 model years of the Mercedes-Benz E (2005–2011) that have at least 5 complaints. 2011 has the most, with 10. Across all years, the part named most often is transmission and drivetrain (4 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All E 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 10 | 300 | 4 | 13 | — | Not enough data |
| 2008 | 7 | 4,000 | 2 | 5 | — | Not enough data |
| 2005 | 5 | 64,000 | 0 | 4 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Transmission and drivetrain4 19%
- Tires4 19%
- Fuel system4 19%
- Air bags3 14%
- Vehicle speed control2 9.5%
- Electrical system2 9.5%
- Suspension1 4.8%
- Steering1 4.8%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2011: “I recently purchased a mercedes 2011 e550. I found the speedometer very difficult to read during daylight conditions it is not lighted. My eyesight is 20/20). This is a safety problem because it takes your eyes off the road too long to read the very dim speedometer. It also causes one to go at speeds not easily controlled by a normal glance at the speedometer.”
NHTSA complaint #10403630, filed 2011-05, 100 miles2005: “I recently bought a used 2005 mercedes e320 with 126.3k miles. At time of transaction, car had half a tank of fuel only. Couple days later, when I went to refuel, I filled up tank all the way to top, I drove home and as soon as I exited car, I could smell a very strong odor of gasoline inside car and inside left rear wheel well. I inspected the car and after lifting rear seat cushion, I opened the covers to gas tank to find there was a fuel leak at the fuel sending unit, driver's side, about 1-2 ounces of fuel. …”
NHTSA complaint #10567995, filed 2014-03, 126,449 miles2008: “Bad placement of cruise control stalk on 2008 mercedes benz e class. It can be confused with the turn signal stalk. I have turned on the cruise control when I meant to activate the turn stalk.”
NHTSA complaint #10226751, filed 2008-05, 6 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
658 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology