Mercedes Benz 420
Owners filed 66 complaints across 7 model years of the Mercedes Benz 420. The 1997 drew the most (22); the 1996 the fewest (1).
Model years7
Complaints66
Recalls1
Fires4
Deaths0
Every Mercedes Benz 420 model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 5 | 0 | — | — | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1997 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Suspension › Front › Springs › Coil Springs | Routine | |
| 1996 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Electrical System › Wiring › Fuses and Circuit Breakers | Routine | |
| 1995 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 1 | Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood | Routine | |
| 1994 | 16 | 0 | — | 2 | Child Seat › Shell › Booster | Routine | |
| 1991 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Suspension › Front | Routine | |
| 1990 | 3 | 1 | — | — | Equipment | Routine |
Which Mercedes Benz 420 years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 1997 is the weakest year on record, with 22 complaints concentrated in the suspension › front › springs › coil springs.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.