1997 Mercedes-Benz E320 Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe front coil springs or spring perches breaking away or collapsing, with rust cited in many of these reports. Seat belt retractors that lock, fail to retract, or bang loudly, along with airbag warning lights and unexpected or failed airbag deployments, come up often as well. Where mileage is recorded, most reports come from cars with roughly 80,000 miles or more, while fire, smoke, and transmission complaints are fewer.

1. 1
   Suspension

   Front coil spring or spring perch breaks away

   • 29 complaints (46%)
   • median 114,200 mi at 10.5 yrs old (22 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2023

   Owners describe a loud bang or clank, followed by a front coil spring, spring perch, or mount breaking away, sometimes at highway speed and sometimes while parked. Many of these reports tie the failure to rust or corrosion on the spring perch, and some describe the front end dropping or the car pulling to one side afterward. Other complaints describe a strut failing or the front end collapsing without naming the spring, and dealers have sometimes replaced the spring assembly or paid part of the cost as goodwill, while in other cases the repair was not covered after the warranty ended. Most entries with recorded mileage fall between about 80,000 and 170,000 miles, with the highest near 224,000.

   What to check: Check the front spring perches and mounts for rust, flaking, or signs of earlier repair, ideally on a lift, and ask for any suspension repair records. A loud clank over bumps or a front corner that sits lower than the other deserves a closer look before buying.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When I changed tires today (march 4, 2007), I found severe corrosion/rust on the front spring perches. The front passenger side perch was already rusted through on one side. The car cannot be driven safely. It is in my garage and has not been repaired. Many others have experienced the same issues with mercedes w210 body styled cars.”

   NHTSA complaint #10184179, filed 2007-03, 81,000 miles

   “While making a left turn on a major street I heard a loud pop and pulled over to see if I ran over something, but nothing was in the road. When I started the car and began driving I noticed the suspension was making noises. I took it to a mechanic shop and was told the passenger side rear coil spring perch separated from the body and the car should not be driven. They quoted me $1500.00 to repair.”

   NHTSA complaint #10903411, filed 2016-09, 150,000 miles
2. 2
   Seat belts

   Seat belt retractors lock, fail to retract, or bang

   • 10 complaints (16%)
   • median 137,000 mi at 15.3 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2008–2023

   Owners describe a loud bang or sharp noise from a seat belt, followed by the belt tightening or locking hard across the body, usually at low to moderate speed. Some describe the belt striking the chest with force, and after such an event the retractor often stays locked or will not retract, with belts reported to fail again after replacement. According to complaints, dealers have pointed to contaminated or failed seat belt control modules, a dealer said no recall applied, and the airbag warning light was also on in some reports. Where mileage is recorded, these reports fall between about 105,000 and 192,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the seat belt control module or retractors have been repaired or replaced, and whether the belt guide was checked under the bulletin for dirt-related roll-up problems, noting that its listed models may not match this vehicle. During an inspection, pull each front belt out fully and let it retract to confirm it returns smoothly and locks only when expected.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When turning on the car, notice srs (seat belt restraint system) light on, upon moving forward in slow speed, a loud pop followed by the tightening of the seat beat and then burning smell of smoke filled the cabin. This I assume is how the system should work during an accident but this happened while I was driving and if I had been driving on the freeway or public highways, I could have easily crashed due to the incident.”

   NHTSA complaint #10312254, filed 2010-02, 105,000 miles

   “Was driving slow like 10 MPH and preparing to make a right turn and there was a loud explosion as the passenger seat belt retracted with such force that it slammed into the sternum of my 73 year old mother, who almost had an episode of cardiac arrest, both from the impact of the belt pushing on her heart and the explosion. One week later the drivers side seatbelt did the same thing . I had not used the drivers side belt on the day of the first incident, or any day since. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11048526, filed 2017-11, 146,000 miles
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Fire, smoke, or burning smell reported

   • 8 complaints (13%)
   • median 135,000 mi at 18.1 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2023

   Owners describe sparks or a fire at the front of the car, including a car that burned completely, and a fire in a driveway that the complaint links to a faulty wiring harness. Other reports describe smoke or a burning smell from the console, or during a seat belt event, with the belt then locked or unusable. Some of these happened while driving at highway speed, and others while parked or starting the car. Where mileage is recorded, these reports range from about 53,000 to 176,000 miles.

   What to check: Inspect the wiring harness and connectors at the front of the car and under the dash for scorching, melted insulation, or a burning odor, and check the seat belt area for heat damage. Ask the seller to explain any wiring or fire-related repair records.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving in a parking lot outside a drugstore very slow. I did not hit anything at all. All of a sudden the seatbelt made a loud explosion sound and smelled like burning. My entire body was restrained very tight against the seat and a hard impact on my chest. It was scary and I thought I was shot. I was lucky that I was not driving on the freeway at the time seat belt exploded. This could have caused a serious accident if I were driving on the highway with heavy traffic.”

   NHTSA complaint #10715016, filed 2015-05, 176,000 miles

   “Driver seatbelt exploded while buckled up as the car was going about 30 mph on a 4 lane street. No warning and was very traumatic. I had to pull over when I smelled something burning. When I released seatbelt to get out of the car it would not buckle up when I tried to get back in the seat. Had to drive home without seatbelt on Christmas Eve. The same thing happened a month later to the passenger seatbelt when I was a passenger in my car. This was very traumatic while driving down a 4 lane Avenue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11504083, filed 2023-01
4. 4
   Air bags

   Airbag light, unexpected deployment, or no deployment

   • 9 complaints (14%)
   • median 132,500 mi at 16.7 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2004–2018

   Owners describe an airbag going off with no crash, or failing to deploy in a collision, including a collision that followed a brake loss. Some describe the deployed bag releasing a yellow substance or inflator contents that struck the occupant, and others report an airbag warning light lit during a seat belt event. According to complaints, a dealer said no recall covered the failure, and the complaint notes the manufacturer was not notified. Where mileage is recorded, these reports fall between about 57,000 and 150,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask the dealer to scan for airbag and SRS fault codes and to confirm the airbag warning light is off. Ask whether the SRS-light bulletin (10028649) has been checked, noting that its listed model is a different series.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Upon making a right turn vehicle lost brake power. When this occurred consumer swerved to avoid hitting pedestrians, and crashed into a garage. Upon impact, bags failed to deploy.”

   NHTSA complaint #10066803, filed 2004-04, 57,000 miles

   “1997 mercedes benz e-320. Consumer writes in regards to airbags malfunction. Consumer stated that passenger side airbag deployed defectively for no reason while driving at a speed of 5mph. Consumer stated that contents from the airbag inflator did not go into airbag but instead hit himself and a passenger in the torso area.”

   NHTSA complaint #10690384, filed 2018-03
5. 5
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission slips, loses power, or fails

   Mentioned in 4 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the transmission failing while driving, with gears slipping in the 2-3 and 3-4 shifts, or the car losing power at highway speed. Dealers have replaced the transmission, torque converter, or shift selector in some cases, and a mechanic said a rebuild was needed. According to complaints, mechanics described the problem as common for the model, and the automatic transmission fluid change interval has been raised as a factor. Where mileage is recorded, these reports are at about 83,000 and 90,000 miles.

   What to check: Ask whether the transmission has been rebuilt or replaced, and request the fluid change and repair records. On a test drive, check for slipping between gears, hesitation when pulling away from a stop, and a lack of acceleration after restarting.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Automatic transmission mallfunction, fibers and metal shavings found in trransmission pan, shift adaption data maxed at 180. Dealer replaced automatic transmission, torque converter and shift selector switch, flushed cooler lines and replaced transmission fluid. Provided 24,000 mile/24 month warranty. Total cost: $4,339.83.”

   NHTSA complaint #10003396, filed 2003-01, 90,200 miles

   “Transmission failed at 83k miles. The 2-3 and 3-4 gear slips. According to mercedes mechanics, the transmission needs to be rebuilt. They also said that this is a common problem with the 1997 e-class mercedes. The atf, which is supposed to be change at 100k, did not protect the transmission as advertised. One mechanic, specialized in repairing mercedes, had replaced over 10+ transmissions for the same model year.”

   NHTSA complaint #10016557, filed 2003-04, 83,000 miles

Buying note. Prospective buyers may want the front spring perches and mounts, seat belt retractors, and airbag warning lights inspected, along with a review of service records for those areas. Complaints in this group are concentrated in higher-mileage cars, so a pre-purchase inspection by a shop familiar with this model is a practical step.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 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.