Everything NHTSA's vPIC database knows about this exact vehicle:
Decoding from NHTSA…
Vehicle history — accidents, title & owners
The decode above is what this vehicle is. For what it's been through — accidents, title brands, odometer, theft/total-loss and previous owners — pull a full history report.
NHTSA publishes the first 11 characters of the VIN with every complaint — that identifies the plant, model year, body and engine. So these are reports from cars built exactly like this one, not an average across the whole model.
WDBUF70J73A••••••2003 Mercedes Benz E500
That is about average for the 2003 Mercedes Benz E500 — 8 complaints per build across 14 builds.
11on this build
113on the model
14builds in total
1involved a crash
2injuries
Most reportedService Brakes 5Power Train 3Engine And Engine Cooling 2Hydraulic 2
What owners of this build wrote
Air BagscrashOct 2015
The contact owns a 2003 mercedes benz e500. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 mph, the brake pedal was applied but did not respond. The contact applied extreme force to the brake pedal, the vehicle spun around and crashed into a tree. The contact…
Electrical SystemMay 2022
I own a 2003 mercedes benz e500. My wife was driving the car about 25 mph .she put on the brakes and a bright red signal appeared on the screen and the car brakes failed .to avoid an accident ,my wife drove into an uphill parking lot where the car came to a stop without the cars…
Service BrakesApr 2022
The contact owns a 2003 Mercedes-Benz E500. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the brakes became inoperable. The brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnose the failure to be the Sensotronic Brake Control (SBC)…
Unknown Or OtherNov 2014
Sbc loss of power no brakes stop car immediately. See workshop
Engine And Engine CoolingJul 2012
Recently purchased this 2003 mb e500 while driving along the vehicle began to stutter and shake @ around 1500 RPM, this occurred continually. Made it home and googled this problem and found out that this is a common problem for this vehicle due to a leak in the coolant system…
Read all 11 complaints on this exact buildFull text, search by keyword, and the systems that fail most on cars built like yours.Unlock with Pro →
Owner complaints…
Now the whole model — all 14 builds of it, not just this build. Same NHTSA reports, wider net:
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Exact value for this VIN, adjusted for mileage
The original window sticker and factory options
Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
Decoded via NHTSA vPIC. Recalls, complaints and safety from NHTSA; MPG from EPA fueleconomy.gov. Full history reports from our partner. VIN WDBUF70J73A376029 · decoded Oct 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.