Owners have filed 2,130 complaints on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, covering 2002–2026. The system named most often is Electrical System (43 reports). Worst years by volume: 2005, 2004, 2003; cleanest: 2026, 2020, 2021. 66 reports describe a crash, 15 a fire, 5 a death. On average the car was 7.6 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,130 E-Class complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Electrical System 43 Read
FIRE FIRE FIRE Information light came on just saying 12 Volt Battery. I sat in the car letting it idle for about 3 minutes. It began to smoke and then burst into flames. I called 911 got the fire department here but by the time they were here there was not much left. The car essentially burned to the ground and…
There was smoke coming from from the engine compartment and spontaneous fire started while the car was at a stop light. The car was totally damaged. The car has less than 15000 miles driven. It is still under warranty. Information was sent to Mercedes-Benz USA with a certified mail and immediately via email from the…
I parked the vehicle in a parking lot. I walked away and it immediately started smoking. Shortly after that, flames appeared coming from the hood. Shortly after that, the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames
Engine 41 Read
I was driving in the florida turnpike traveling from miami I stopped at a service station to go to the restroom and when I came back my car had a fire coming from the engine. I had to get the fire extinguisher from the gas station, opened the hood and put down the fire. The vehicle was stationary and the engine was…
The contact owns a 2018 mercedes benz e400. The contact stated that they were smelling a burning odor emitting from the engine of the vehicle. The contact stated that when the automatic driving was activated the vehicle would accelerate to higher speeds. The contact would have to press the vehicles brakes obsessively.…
The contact owns a 2017 mercedes-benz e300. While driving 70 mph, smoke emerged from the engine compartment and oil was leaking from the vehicle. Additionally, an abnormal booming noise was heard. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The highway safety department arrived at the scene and provided sand. The…
Power Train 28 Read
On a recent drive, my 2024 Mercedes-Benz E350 VIN: [XXX] suffered a catastrophic safety hazard involving a complete loss of drive power and sudden engine shutdown while operating at highway speeds. I had to navigate across active highway lanes with no engine propulsion to reach safety. Simultaneously, the vehicle…
The contact owns a 2023 Mercedes-Benz E450. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and merging into traffic, the gear shifter inadvertently shifted into neutral (N). There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the RPM was fluctuating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be…
My first incident was on July 17, 2023, the transmission shifted from drive to neutral, with out me touching the gear shift lever in any way. My safety and any passengers I have in this car, could be at risk, at this point I was going about 40 MPH, going into a gradual curve, entering a Entrance to 95 north, I had…
Air Bags 25 Read
While traveling at highway speeds with adaptive cruise control safety systems engaged, the vehicle failed to detect a hazard immediately ahead in its lane. The Forward Collision Warning failed to alert the driver, and the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) failed to initiate automated emergency deceleration. Manual…
Hit on driver's side door area. Presale failed to operate. Seat belts did not restrain driver or passenger. Air bags did not trigger. Driver hit steering wheel and was injured. Entering intersection of n. Druid hills rd and clairmont rd, atlanta, ga. My vehicle was at very low speed. Other vehicle was traveling at…
1) Car pushed forward while parking @ 3-4 miles/per hour Car was totaled 2) Air bags did not deploy 3) Problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by dealer 4) Component was not confirmed by manufacturer. Police was present, reported to Insurance 5) While crashing through a store front, the Lane changing warning was…
Steering 25 Read
1. Car's computer abruptly shutdown all controls/systems when lightly applying brake to stop at yellow light. Lost Total control of car, steering locked, 4 wheel drive locked all wheels, park brake inoperable, doors locked, windows would not operate, key fob was made inoperable, HVAC was inoperable, no lights worked…
The lane-keeping assist function (In-Lane control, part of the driver-assistance suite) does not turn off when commanded. The driver selects the control to disengage, and the system remains active and continues to apply steering input. This is a recurring condition and it is getting more frequent. A driver-assistance…
The contact owns a 2024 Mercedes-Benz E450. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Active Emergency Assistance Imperative" message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that a software update was required. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The…
Fuel/propulsion System 16 Read
I drove in and parked behind a child care center. I was stopped and suddenly the car lurched forward crashing through a wood fence and was only stopped by some playground equipment. Breaking did not stop it
The fuel pump on my vehicle failed multiple times, including coming off start / stop at traffic lights, as well as when being started. When at a stop light turning from red to green, my car did not respond, putting me in danger of being hit from behind. The vehicle is being repaired under warranty at a manufacturer…
There is a recall on my vehicle for over 4 months now. I keep going/contacting the local dealers about the issue and they keep telling me to come back in a month and every time they tell me there is no remedy yet and they dont know when exactly they will be able to fix it. And according to NHTSA this could increase…
Structure 14 Read
Mercedes-Benz E350 Mild Hybrid was purchased new on XXX. Vehicle had approximately 291 miles and had been owned 25 days, when incident occurred on XXX at approximately 9:30am. Incident occurred during normal interstate driving (I-10 between [XXX] and [XXX]) at approximately the posted speed limit of 60mph. Weather was…
An underbody splash shield (one of three, I believe), covering the transmission (the middle of the three) detached at highway speed and fell off the vehicle. This caused the leading edge of another shield to detach, which then, due to air flow, began dragging the highway. It was quite a noise; initially I thought it…
Rear glass window on convertible soft top is prematurely separating/delaminating from top assembly on 2020 Mercedes-Benz E350 convertible with under 8,000 miles. Glass is integrated into the convertible top and failure may lead to reduced rear visibility, possible glass detachment, water intrusion, and safety hazard…
Fuel System 10 Read
The contact owns a 2023 Mercedes-Benz E450. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V880000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. While the…
The contact owns a 2022 Mercedes-Benz E350. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle decelerated while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact was able to turn off and restart the vehicle. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the…
The contact owns a 2022 Mercedes-Benz E450. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V445000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer…
E-Class years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2024 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2023 | Back Over Prevention | — | — | |
| 2022 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2021 | Back Over Prevention | — | 1 | |
| 2020 | Back Over Prevention | — | 1 | |
| 2019 | Air Bags,seat Belts | 4 | 1 | |
| 2018 | Air Bags,lane Departure,forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 2 | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 2 | 1 | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 1 | 1 | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 5 | 1 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2009 | Electrical System | 1 | — | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 3 | — | |
| 2007 | Electrical System | — | — | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 12 | 4 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 12 | 3 | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 13 | — | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 1 | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 700 |
| Average complaints per series | 3 |
| Worst single series | 28 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 7.6 years |
A model average of 3 hides a worst series at 28. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the E-Class?
By complaint volume, 2005, 2004, 2003 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which E-Class years are the cleanest?
2026, 2020, 2021 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Mercedes-Benz E-Class have?
2,130 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2002–2026. Of those, 66 describe a crash and 15 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.