Owners filed 15 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system › wiring › front underhood. It has been recalled 1 time.
What fails
Component
Reports
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood
7
0
0
0
Electrical System
4
0
0
0
Equipment › Appliance › Air Conditioner
1
0
0
0
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline
1
0
1
0
Electrical System › Wiring
1
0
0
0
Electrical System › Ignition
1
0
0
0
1 safety recall
Part 573 reports
Visibility96V175000
Filed Sep 19, 199628,874 vehiclesMercedes-Benz Usa, Inc.
Defect. IF ONE OF THE HEADLAMP WIPER ARMS BECOMES MISALIGNED, THE WIPER BALDE CAN LODGE IN THE GROOVE UNDER THE HEADLAMP. IF THE WASHERS ARE ACTIVATED WITH THE WIPER BLADE IN THE MISALIGNED AND LODGED POSITION, THE WASHER PUMP WILL RUN CONTINUOUSLY EXPELLING ALL AVAILABLE FLUID.
Risk. PUMP OPERATION IN THE ABSENCE OF FLUID CAN CAUSE THE PUMP TO OVERHEAT AND CAUSE A VEHICLE FIRE.
Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HEADLAMP WASHER PUMP ON THESE VEHICLES.
What owners reported
Newest filings
Electrical System
Filed Nov 30, 2008185,900 milesCA
MAIN ENGINE/FUEL INJECTION ELECTRICAL WIRING HARNESS, HAS CRACKED INSULATION THROUGHOUT THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS AND IS DISINTEGRATING CAUSING WIRES TO RUB TOGETHER AND BEGINNING TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITH THE RISK OF CAUSING DANGEROUS ENGINE MALFUNCTIONS TO INCLUDE FIRE INSIDE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I'VE DISCOVERED FROM DLR HARDNESS INSULATION IS MADE OF BIODEGRADABLE MATERIAL RESULTING IN EARLY DETERIORATION. AS A RESULT, THE ENGINE IS STARTING TO EXHIBIT STALLING ISSUES, ROUGH RUNNING, AND INCORRECT FAULT CODES ARE PRODUCED ON THE CAR COMPUTER. *TR
Electrical System
Filed Aug 28, 2008171,600 milesCO
ENGINE WIRING HARNESS IS DISENTIGRATING. *TR
Electrical System
Filed Jul 5, 200899,000 milesMN
ENGINE CUTTING OUT . ALL WIRES IN THE ENGINE HARNESS AND ELECTRIC CABLE CRACKED AND EXPOSED. *TR
Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood
Filed Dec 22, 200794,000 milesCA
ENGINE WIRING HARNESS PN 124-543-95-26; WIRING INSULATION COMPLETELY ERODES OVER TIME WITH NORMAL USE, RESULTING IN NUMEROUS SHORT CIRCUITS. *TR
Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood
Filed Feb 9, 2007TX
WIRE INSULATION ON MY ENGINE WIRING HARNESS HAS DISINTEGRATED EXPOSING THE INTERNAL WIRING COMPLETELY, ESPECIALLY IN BENT AREAS. THIS IS A RESULT OF NORMAL OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE. AS THIS HAPPENS THE ENGINE RUNS WORSE, PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED INCLUDE SURGING IN IDLE, STUMBLING OF ENGINE UPON INITIAL ACCELERATION AND STALLING OR RUNNING ENGINE. THE ONLY COURSE OF ACTION IS TO REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS WITH A "NEWLY" PURCHASED HARNESS FROM MERCEDES BENZ. THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THAT IDEA IS I WILL BE PURCHASING A WIRING HARNESS MANUFACTURED DURING ROUGHLY THE SAME TIME THE VEHICLE WAS IN PRODUCTION THAT USES THE SAME DEFECTIVE, ADVANCED DEGRADING WIRING. *JB
Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood
Filed May 31, 200659,000 milesTX
THE ENGINE / FUEL INJECTION WIRING HARNESS, AND STARTER/ALTERNATOR WIRING HARNESS OF MY 1992 MERCEDES-BENZ 500E (61,000 MILES), HAS CRACKED INSULATION THROUGHOUT AND IS BEGINNING TO SHORT OUT WITH THE RISK OF CAUSING DANGEROUS ENGINE MALFUNCTION AND EVEN FIRE INSIDE MY ENGINE COMPARTMENT. I HAVE READ MANY REPORTS OF OTHER MERCEDES-BENZ CARS OF THE SAME AGE RANGE HAVING THE EXACT SAME DEFECT. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH MERCEDES THAT THEY REFUSE TO RECALL. **NM
Electrical System
Filed May 28, 200681,872 milesCT
UPPER ENGINE WIRING HARNESS IN MY 1992 MERCEDES BENZ 500E (81,000 MILES) HAS COMPLETELY DETERIORATED. THE INSULATION HAS BECOME BRITTLE AND CRACKED AND FLAKED OF THE HARNESS CAUSING ELECTRICAL SHORTS WITHIN THE IGNITION SYSTEM CAUSING FAILURE TO START OR RUN CONDITIONS. THROUGH RESEARCH ON THE WEB I HAVE DISCOVERED THIS IS A COMMON SITUATION WITH THE W124 CHASSIS CARS. SINCE IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM I FEEL THAT MERCEDES BENZ OF NORTH AMERICA IS OBLIGATED TO INITIATE A RECALL OR VOLUNTARILY REPLACE THIS KNOWN FAULTY ITEM. *JB
Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood
Filed May 13, 2006132,500 milesCA
THE ENGINE / FUEL INJECTION WIRING HARNESS OF MY 1992 MERCEDES-BENZ 500 SEL WAS REPLACED ONCE AND NOW HAS CRACKED INSULATION THROUGHOUT, I MIGHT ADD, THIS NEW HARNESS IS "SUPPOSED" TO BE THE NEW AND IMPROVED UPGRADED VERSION. IT DOES HAVE A DIFFERENT PART NUMBER THAN THE ORIGINAL. THE WIRES ARE ALL EXPOSED BECAUSE OF THE CRACKED INSULATION. PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS NOT A RARE WIRE, ALL OF THEM ARE CRACKED AND DAMAGED AND EXPOSED!!! BECAUSE OF THE OUTSIDE RUBBER CASING WHICH HOLDS ALL OF THE WIRES, I WOULD HAVE NEVER KNOWN OF THIS PROBLEM UNTIL IT WOULD HAVE BEEN TOOO LATE. LUCKILY, MY MECHANIC, ED AT EDS MBZ IN GLENDALE CALIFORNIA, (818) 247-2369 WAS KNOWLEDGEABLE ENOUGH TO IMMEDIATELY CUT THE OUTSIDE CASING TO LOOK INSIDE. I AM STILL AMAZED A CAR COMPANY MAKING AN 80,000 TO 100,000 DOLLAR CAR WOULD HAVE THE AUDACITY TO MAKE ONE OF THE MOST CRUCIAL ELECTRICAL PARTS THE WIRING HARNESS SO BAD. WIRE HARNESSES ARE SUPPOSED TO LAST THE LIFETIME OF THE CAR- ITS A SAFETY ISSUE!!! IT IS BEGINNING TO SHORT OUT WITH THE RISK OF CAUSING DANGEROUS ENGINE MALFUNCTION AND EVEN FIRE INSIDE MY ENGINE COMPARTMENT. IT IS ALSO ONE OF THE MAJOR CAUSES FOR COMPUTER DAMAGE. ED SHOWED ME 12 HARNESSES HE "RECENTLY" REPLACED. ALL OF THEM THE SAME. I SPOKE WITH MBZ USA- FORGET IT- I THOUGHT I WAS SPEAKING WITH FORD REGARDING EXPLODING GAS TANKS ON OPINTO'S. THIS PROBLEM IS WELL KNOWN WITH ANY GOOD RELIABLE MBZ MECHANIC. SINCE I WAS BLOWN OFF BY MBZ AMERICA, I CALLED AROUND- 5 MBZ DEALERS SERVICE MANAGERS
Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood
Filed May 5, 2006132,000 milesCT
UPPER AND LOWER ENGINE WIRING HARNESS DEGRADED TO POINT WHERE CAR WOULD NOT RUN. INSULATION ALL DRIED UP AND CRUMBLED AWAY...I UNDERSTAND MANY 500E OWNERS HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM...MERCEDES ACKNOWLEDGES USING INFERIOR 'BIO-DEGRADABLE' MATERIALS. *JB
Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood
Filed Sep 30, 200595,000 milesCA
UPPER ENGINE WIRE HARNESS FAILURE - ERRATIC IDLE, POWER LOSS, RF NOISE EXCESSIVE, INCONSISTENT ECU FAULT CODES. REPLACED HARNESS AND ALL DEFECTS NO LONGER OCCURRED. *NM
Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood
Filed Sep 13, 2005NY
CAR SUDDENLY LOST POWER, DROVE HOME AT VERY REDUCED SPEED. MECHANIC DIAGNOSED IT AS A FAULTY WIRING HARNESS, A COMMON DEFECT ON THIS MODEL CAR 1992 MERCEDES BENZ 500E. *JB
Electrical System › Wiring1 killed
Filed Dec 26, 2002100,000 milesWA
FAULTY WIRING IN THE ENGINE BAY. THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS IS DISENTIGRATING FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN AGE. AS A RESULT, THE ENGINE IS STARTING TO EXIBIT STALLING ISSUES AND ROUGH RUNNING, ALSO FAULT CODES ARE PRODUCED ON THE CAR COMPUTER.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.
Most recent recall on file: Sep 19, 1996. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.