Mercedes-Benz E300 Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 229 consumer complaints across the 7 model years of the Mercedes-Benz E300 (1995–2019) that have at least 5 complaints. 2017 has the most, with 132. Across all years, the part named most often is engine (49 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All E300 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 29 | 6,500 | 8 | 234 | 50 · Typical | Stable |
| 2018 | 32 | 15,567 | 7 | 224 | 39 · Typical | Rising |
| 2017 | 132 | 32,000 | 16 | 229 | 84 · More | Rising |
| 1999 | 13 | 115,000 | 0 | 21 | — | Not enough data |
| 1998 | 9 | 106,223 | 0 | 21 | — | Not enough data |
| 1997 | 8 | 93,000 | 0 | 21 | — | Not enough data |
| 1995 | 6 | 171,872 | 0 | 20 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine49 22%
- Electrical system41 18%
- Other or unknown34 15%
- Fuel system31 14%
- Transmission and drivetrain25 11%
- Steering18 8.1%
- Body and structure14 6.3%
- Brakes11 4.9%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2017: “Strong smell of petrol in the mornings, seems to be under the hood. I inspected the fuel lines from the fuel tank to the engine underneath and could not find any drips or wetness. Did some research online. There was a recall on other models for this problem. I called mercedes customer service but there is not a recall for this on the 2017 mercedes E300”
NHTSA complaint #11389383, filed 2021-01, 70,000 miles2019: “The right side blind assist turns on when making a right turn and also gives false warning light and sound when there's no car. The run flat tires blew out and didn't work. There's no spare tire so I called mb sos. I had to call them 4 times to get them to send the towing truck. I was told it would be 45 minutes but it took over 2.5 hours in the desert sun outside of las vegas.”
NHTSA complaint #11414852, filed 2021-05, 11,000 miles1999: “The front right coil spring perch failed due to rust which caused the suspension to drop to the ground on that side. The coil spring fell out and rolled down the street. I had the car towed to a welder and fixed the perch. This luckily happened on a low speed road, where I could safely pull over with a bottomed out suspension. The car was travelling strait during the incident.”
NHTSA complaint #10874486, filed 2016-06, 135,000 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