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Mercedes-Benz E320Model year report

2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 Problems

Complaints
231filed with NHTSA
Median mileage
85,500miles, 186 complaints with mileage
Recalls
3campaigns on record
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA crash rating
—overall rating starts with 2011 models
EPA fuel economy
20 mpgcombined, 3.2L 6-cyl RWD · 18 city / 26 hwy

Sources: NHTSA records for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 (complaints, recalls, investigations), NHTSA crash tests, EPA fuel economy. Report an error

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often report a strong gasoline smell after filling the tank, usually traced to the fuel tank, sending unit or pump area under the rear seat. A second recurring theme is loss of brake assist and a brake warning message tied to the Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC) system, and some owners also describe air bag/SRS warning lights. Many reports come in the 60,000-130,000 mile range, often years after the car was new.

  1. Fuel system

    Fuel smell and leaks from tank / sending unit area

    • 118 complaints (51%)
    • median 81,000 mi at 8.5 yrs old (102 state mileage)
    • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 14 quotes)
    • filed 2011–2021

    Owners describe a strong gasoline odor inside the cabin, in the garage and around the rear of the car, most noticeable right after refueling and fading once the tank drops below about three-quarters or half. Complaints mention fuel found pooling or dripping near the fuel pump or sending unit beneath the rear seat, cracked tank seams or a leaking tank valve; some dealers replaced the sending unit or seals, others the whole tank, and in several reports the smell returned after repair. Mostly reported between roughly 40,000 and 130,000 miles, usually after a fill-up.

    3 related service bulletins

    What to check: Fill the tank fully before buying and smell for fuel inside and around the rear wheel area; pull the rear seat cushion access panel and look for dampness or staining around the sending unit. Ask whether the tank, pump or sending unit has been replaced and keep receipts.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “This is the second occurrence with this problem on my vehicle-the fuel sending unit is leaking once again with the first replacement occurring around 75k miles and now again at 123k miles. I will pursue some classification with this matter. Even though the fuel leakage is contained beneath the rear seat, the fumes are almost impossible to bear.”

    NHTSA complaint #10681914, filed 2015-02, 70,000 miles

    “When the gas tank is full, the car smells like pure gas. I took it to the dealership to be fixed, but they did a patch and made the smell so bad that it gave us all headaches even with the windows down. The dealership has had my car for 3 months now and nothing has been done. Mercedes needs to fix the issue, or give me a new car!”

    NHTSA complaint #10726754, filed 2015-06, 50,000 miles
  2. Brakes

    Brake pedal goes to floor / reduced brake power (SBC)

    • 53 complaints (23%)
    • median 100,000 mi at 11.5 yrs old (39 state mileage)
    • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2005–2025

    Complaints describe sudden loss of brake assist: the pedal travels to the floor, a red reduced-brake-power or brake-warning message appears, and owners had to downshift, use the parking brake or switch off the engine to stop. Dealers or shops commonly diagnosed the SBC hydraulic unit (Sensotronic Brake Control) or its pump and replaced it or related sensors. Reported from about 59,000 to 166,000 miles, typically during normal driving with no advance warning.

    3 related service bulletins

    What to check: Ask whether the SBC hydraulic unit has been serviced or replaced and whether any extended warranty coverage applies to it, and have a shop pull stored brake codes. Test that the brake pedal feels firm with the engine running and that no brake warning message appears.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “This vehicle is equipped with sbc - sensotronic brake system. Rolling at city speed limit, the brake pedal suddenly went to the floor with no advanced warning causing me to use the transmission and emergency brake to bring the car to a stop. Seems to me to be a serious safety issue with a mercedes benz who don't want to have anything to do with it in terms of repair cost”

    NHTSA complaint #10965841, filed 2017-03, 114,000 miles

    “I was driving and my brakes failed causing me to almost crash. I was on a busy interstate and had to immediately get to edge of road and turn my car off and the restart.. Took to a aoto shop. Found out that it was the sbc ABS brake system. Was notified of a recall”

    NHTSA complaint #11139645, filed 2018-10, 130,000 miles
  3. Air bags

    Air bag / SRS warning light on

    • 22 complaints (10%)
    • median 47,742 mi at 5.2 yrs old (14 state mileage)
    • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
    • filed 2004–2020

    Owners report the SRS or air bag warning light staying on, sometimes with a passenger-seat warning chime even when no one is sitting there. Complaints point to wiring in the steering column (clock spring), seat occupancy or seat frame components; repairs tried included replacing steering-wheel wiring, seat control modules and, in one case, an entire seat frame, sometimes without a lasting fix. Reported across a wide mileage spread, from very low miles up to about 300,000.

    2 related service bulletins

    What to check: Turn the ignition on and confirm the SRS light goes out after the bulb check, and test the passenger seat with and without weight on it. Ask for any scan results for air bag and seat-occupancy codes before buying.

    2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

    “Srs light on - message on dash that srs has malfunctioned. Took car to dealer on 2/20/06 and was told I could wait for car. As it turned out I did not get my car back until 6pm on 2/22/06. Per dealer's repair invoice...check codes and evaluate. Check actual values and check dtb. Perform repairs, replace wiring to steering wheel control module. On 06/29/06 srs light on again with malfunction message. Took to dealer and advised same problem as on 2/20/06. Car is at dealer awaiting repair and has been promised for today, 6/30/06.”

    NHTSA complaint #10161151, filed 2006-06, 16,050 miles

    “2005 mercedes E320 steering column wiring failure ( 'clock spring & steering wiring module & srs air bag failure). Partial repair corrected loss of turn signals, horn and speedometer at a cost to me ( owner of $749.). One day later srs (air bag fail indicator) came on again. Back to dealer who said a wiring harness in the steering column is also bad & needs to be replaced at an additional fee of $516. But that they would do repair for $429. ??? Did not affect repair yet. Just noticed defect investigation?? What should I do ?? …”

    NHTSA complaint #10346783, filed 2010-08, 51,000 miles

Buying note. A pre-purchase inspection by a shop familiar with the W211 platform is worthwhile, focusing on the fuel tank and sending unit area, brake system codes, air bag warning lights and water leaks. Ask for receipts showing which of these have already been addressed, since several show up repeatedly in owner reports.

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.

NHTSA recorded 231 consumer complaints for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320. 186 of the complaints include a mileage, and 19% of those were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the median is 85,500 miles. Of all complaints, 10 involved a crash, 4 a fire, 15 an injury, 4 a death, according to the filers. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns and 91 technical service bulletins for this model year.

Not compared (before 2008). Model years 2008–2023 of the same vehicle that have at least 25 complaints are compared, and a model needs at least 3 of them.

Which parts are reported most

Complaints can name more than one part, so the counts add up to more than the total. Select a part to see its complaints, recalls and bulletins.

Also reported: Vehicle speed control (4), Other or unknown (3), Seat belts (3), Tires (3), Electronic stability control (2), Exterior lighting (2), Seats (2), Equipment (1), Latches, locks and linkages (1), Body and structure (1).

Example complaints

Fuel system: “Replaced battery (30 days ago) and now warning light comes on saying I need to replace the battery every 10 miles and will not go off. Brake lights (ABS and esp) lights comne on and nothing is wrong when it is being repairs. Filled up my car yesterday and strong gas fumes in the car and in my garage. Made me nauseated. Read this was recall for that year and model.”

NHTSA complaint #10779884, filed 2015-10, 157,000 miles

Brakes: “I got a message on my dashboard to visit car shop for brakes. Thinking that I needed to replace brakes, I drove it for a couple of weeks ( I hardly drive) and took it in. Only to find out it was the hydraulic pump that went out and could leave me without any brakes at any second!! I had to leave it there for 4 days and paid 1544.”

NHTSA complaint #11073597, filed 2018-02, 157,000 miles

Air bags: “Airbag failure the srs light came on my 2005 mercedes E320 cdi. I paid the dealer $100+ to pull the codes and it was the airbag connector in the steering column. Since I work on the car myself and it was just out of out of warranty (30,000 miles but 4 years and a couple of months). I bought another connector and replaced it myself. I have a 1992 mercedes and it has gold pins on the airbag circuit whereas this 'new' car has grey 'zinc' pins.”

NHTSA complaint #10343105, filed 2010-07, 30,000 miles

Electrical system: “There is a high level of rf being emitted inside the cabin of the car. The level is so high it pushes pulsed rf waves against an aluminum emergency blanket that was set up to identify which direction it was coming from. This method showed it is coming from multiple direction within the cabin. This is with the engine off and windows rolled up. Also lf l leave the car and come back within less than a minute the climate inside will knock me out, or make me very sleepy. I have to immediately get out of the car and walk 50 to 70 feet away from it to stop this from happening if l catch it in time. …”

NHTSA complaint #11066957, filed 2018-02, 195,000 miles

Mileage when problems were reported

19% of the 186 complaints with a mileage were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles; the middle half falls between 60,000 and 115,000 miles.

3%0–106%10–2510%25–5022%50–7518%75–10032%100–15010%150+
Share of complaints by mileage when the problem was reported, in thousands of miles (186 complaints with mileage). Red bars: under 50,000 miles. Bucket widths differ. Median: 85,500 miles.

Complaints by year filed

Trend: falling. Complaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

’04’07’10’1344’16’19’22’25
Complaints by year the complaint was filed with NHTSA. Red bars: the last 3 full calendar years used for the trend. The current year (2026) is partial.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320. Frontal results are shown driver / passenger; rollover shows the star rating and NHTSA's estimated risk of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

VersionOverallFrontalSideSide poleRollover
E-Class · sedan not rated4 / 4———

Ratings before the 2011 model year come from an older, less demanding test and are not comparable with ratings for 2011 and later.

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), nhtsa.gov/ratings.

Fuel economy and running cost

EPA ratings for each 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 version. Annual fuel cost is the EPA's estimate at its current fuel prices for 15,000 miles a year (55% city driving).

VersionEngineTransmissionCityHwyComb.Fuel / yr
E320 RWD3.2L 6-cyl5-speed automatic182620$4,100
E320 (Wagon) RWD3.2L 6-cyl5-speed automatic172520$4,100
E320 4matic 4WD/AWD3.2L 6-cyl5-speed automatic172319$4,350
E320 4matic (Wagon) 4WD/AWD3.2L 6-cyl5-speed automatic162219$4,350
E320 Cdi RWD3.2L 6-cyl · diesel5-speed automatic233327$3,550

Source: U.S. EPA and Department of Energy, fueleconomy.gov. Ratings are for comparing vehicles; real-world mileage varies with driving and conditions.

Recalls and investigations

Recall details for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 → · Check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls

Technical service bulletins

TSBs are manufacturer notes to dealers about known repair procedures. They are not recalls and do not by themselves mean a vehicle has a fault. 91 on record; the latest 10 are shown.

See all 91 bulletins →

Other model years of the Mercedes-Benz E320

YearComplaintsMedian miRecallsCrash ★MPGScore (50 = typical)Trend
2009862,2093—26—Not enough data
200810120,0003—26—Not enough data
20071785,5514—26—Falling
20064191,4684—27Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200523185,5003—20Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200420396,5002—20Not compared (before 2008)Stable
200321499,8502—20Not compared (before 2008)Falling
20022385,9920—21—Falling
20013889,5000—21Not compared (before 2008)Falling
200044155,0000—21Not compared (before 2008)Rising
19998385,0000—21Not compared (before 2008)Stable
19983799,9000—20Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199763115,0000—20Not compared (before 2008)Rising
199645110,0000—19Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199596107,5000—20Not compared (before 2008)Stable
199411146,7540—19—Not enough data

All Mercedes-Benz E320 model years · Best and worst years by complaints

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320?

Owners of this model year most often report a strong gasoline smell after filling the tank, usually traced to the fuel tank, sending unit or pump area under the rear seat. The issues reported most often: Fuel smell and leaks from tank / sending unit area; Brake pedal goes to floor / reduced brake power (SBC); Air bag / SRS warning light on.

How many NHTSA complaints does the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 have?

NHTSA recorded 231 consumer complaints for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 as of Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

What part of the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 is reported most often?

Fuel system is named most often, in 122 complaints (53% of the total), followed by brakes with 54.

Has the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 been recalled?

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year. To check a specific vehicle, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What gas mileage does the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 get?

The EPA rates the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 (E320, 3.2L 6-cyl) at 20 mpg combined, 18 city and 26 highway, with an estimated annual fuel cost of $4,100 at 15,000 miles a year. Other engine and drive versions are rated differently.

At what mileage are problems with the 2005 Mercedes-Benz E320 reported?

Among the 186 complaints that include a mileage, the median is 85,500 miles and the middle half falls between 60,000 and 115,000 miles; 19% were filed for vehicles with under 50,000 miles.

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. Crash ratings are from NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program. Fuel economy is from the EPA and DOE (fueleconomy.gov).

Complaint counts come from NHTSA’s public complaint database; we count each complaint once. The source records for this vehicle are on nhtsa.gov. Scores and trends are our own summaries of that data, described in the methodology. This page is not legal, safety or repair advice: for a specific vehicle, check its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and ask a qualified mechanic. See an error? Tell us.