The Mercedes-Benz 400 has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns on record covering 1992–1993. On average a defect was admitted 1 years after the car was built, the slowest took 2 years. The most recalled system is Engine And Engine Cooling (1 campaigns).
What was recalled on the Mercedes-Benz 400
Grouped by system. Open any row for the campaigns themselves — what failed, what it risks and how the dealer fixes it, straight from the NHTSA filing.
Engine And Engine Cooling 1 Read
What's wrong. High ambient engine compartment temperatures are experienced after the vehicle is operated and then parked. If the vehicle is restarted a short time later and the charcoal canister is saturated with fuel, it is possible that fuel vapor may be expelled through the inlet vent line of the canister onto the electric auxiliary radiator fan preresistor
Risk. Under certain operating conditions the electric auxiliary radiator fan preresistor becomes hot enough to ignite the fuel expelled from the charcoal cannister and result in an underhood fire
Fix. Dealers will reposition the fuel vapor canister vent line away from the electric fan preresistor. In addition, the preresistor will have a larger heat shield and a fused wiring harness will be installed
What's wrong. High ambient engine compartment temperatures are experienced after the vehicle is operated and then parked. If the vehicle is restarted a short time later and the charcoal canister is saturated with fuel, it is possible that fuel vapor may be expelled through the inlet vent line of the canister onto the electric auxiliary radiator fan preresistor
Risk. Under certain operating conditions the electric auxiliary radiator fan preresistor becomes hot enough to ignite the fuel expelled from the charcoal cannister and result in an underhood fire
Fix. Dealers will reposition the fuel vapor canister vent line away from the electric fan preresistor. In addition, the preresistor will have a larger heat shield and a fused wiring harness will be installed
Service Brakes, Hydraulic 1 Read
What's wrong. The plastic brake hydraulic hose from the automatic slip control unit was misrouted too close to the pre-resistor for the electric auxiliary engine cooling fan which becomes hot under certain conditions. This could cause the hose to melt and leak brake fluid onto the hot pre-resistor
Risk. Brake fluid can catch on fire when it contacts the hotpre-resistor, posing the risk of injury to anyone in or near the vehicle
Fix. Replace and reroute any hose that may have been misrouted
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year of the announcement, so each recall on this model can be dated against the car it applies to.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average gap before admission | 1 years |
| Slowest campaign | 2 years |
| Admitted 5+ years later | —% |
| Campaigns on record | 2 |
Which 400 years were recalled most
Campaigns per model year. A year with more campaigns is not automatically worse — it may simply have sold in far greater numbers.
| Model year | Campaigns | Most recalled system |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Engine And Engine Cooling | |
| 1992 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic |
Check your own car
A campaign applies to a range of production, not to every car of the model. The only way to know whether yours is affected — and whether the repair was already done — is by VIN.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
Go deeper
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does the Mercedes-Benz 400 have?
2 NHTSA campaigns on record, covering 1992–1993. Not every campaign applies to every car — coverage is by production range, so check your VIN.
Is recall work free?
Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had. That is a federal requirement, not a courtesy.
How do I know if my 400 still has an open recall?
Enter its VIN above. We show campaigns that apply to that exact vehicle and whether the repair has already been recorded as done.
Why did a defect take years to be recalled?
On this model the average gap between the car being built and the defect being admitted is 1 years, and the slowest campaign came 2 years later. Defects usually surface as they accumulate in the field: complaints pile up, an investigation opens, and only then is a campaign issued.