1996 Mercedes-Benz E320 Suspension Problems
- Complaints
- 19about this part
- Share
- 42%of 45 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 90,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 19 complaints about the suspension of the 1996 Mercedes-Benz E320, 42% of the 45 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 90,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was driving down a back road in my 1996 mercedes E320 when I heard a bang and the passenger front side dropped. The front coil spring had popped out. If I had been going any faster I would have lost control of the car. I have heard that the front coil spring mounts in this model corrode due to improper undercoating.”
NHTSA complaint #10454818, filed 2012-04, 131,000 miles“Front spring perches must have been rusted at the welding seam. When I was driving at 35 MPH I heard a big snap and the front of the car hit the ground at which point I lost steering control. The front perches must have dislodged and almost caused accident while I was driving. This is a vital part of the suspension/steering system and should be recalled. The dealership would not help out replacing this part. This is clearly a manufacturing issue and should be recalled. …”
NHTSA complaint #10265591, filed 2009-04, 134,000 miles“I recently heard a loud pop from the front of my car while traveling at highway speed. I stopped to inspect the noise and found that the car was slightly leaning to the right. Not seeing anything on the roadside, I drove it home slowly to inspect further. Information I read online informed me of a design flaw involving the failure of spot welds that attach the front, top coil spring perch to the chassis. Upon deeper inspection I found my r side spring perch welds were 80% failed and the force of the coil spring had bent the spring perch up 45 deg. From normal. …”
NHTSA complaint #10289081, filed 2009-10, 227,850 miles“Highway driving 45-50 MPH when there is a loud clunk from underneath car followed by a slight loss of handling looked in rearview mirror and saw a spring lying in the street. Upon stopping to inspect the vehicle and retrieve the spring I noticed the drivers side front was very low. I looked underneath the car and saw what appeared to be a rusty mangled can. Come to find out it was the spring top mount and it had rusted completely away from the frame. Had to have vehicle towed over 60 miles away to have repaired. Had to have parts re-welded and fabricated at the shop to solve the problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10160418, filed 2006-06, 110,000 miles“Spring perch snapped and spring shot out on front passenger side while wife and children were in the car. Thank god they were less the 200 feet from the house and only traveling about 5 MPH.”
NHTSA complaint #10525973, filed 2013-07, 168,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10151948Jul 19, 2018Display of suspension setting in head unit implausible
- 10044180Aug 11, 2011Xentry: 'airmatic- service required' or 'elc- service required' in display- 'fc5151- b22/3 (rear axle sensor): signal implausible' stored.
Suspension: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 2 | 20% |
| 2006 | 2 | 5% |
| 2005 | 6 | 3% |
| 2004 | 4 | 2% |
| 2003 | 11 | 5% |
| 2002 | 2 | 9% |
| 2001 | 3 | 8% |
| 2000 | 5 | 11% |
| 1999 | 10 | 12% |
| 1998 | 7 | 19% |
| 1997 | 32 | 51% |
| 1996 | 19 | 42% |
Other parts of the 1996 Mercedes-Benz E320
12 complaintsAir bags
5 complaintsBody and structure
5 complaintsEngine cooling
4 complaintsFuel system
4 complaintsSteering
3 complaintsEquipment
2 complaintsEngine
1 complaintsSeat belts
1 complaintsTires
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1996 Mercedes-Benz E320
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.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology