Mercedes Benz C230
Owners filed 657 complaints across 11 model years of the Mercedes Benz C230. The 2007 drew the most (212).
Model years11
Complaints657
Recalls22
Fires23
Deaths0
Which Mercedes Benz C230 years should you avoid?
Going by 657 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Mercedes Benz C230 years to avoid are 2007, 2006 and 2005.
- 2007212 complaints, 4.2× a typical C230 year, most often about the airbags.
- 2006116 complaints, 2.3× a typical C230 year, most often about the engine.
- 20052.1× the usual share of fires, crashes and deaths for a car of its age (6 fires, 12 crashes).
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every Mercedes Benz C230 model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007Avoid | 212 | 5 | 4 | 8 | Fuel/Propulsion System | Above average | |
| 2006Avoid | 116 | 5 | — | 6 | Engine | Routine | |
| 2005Avoid | 85 | 4 | 6 | 12 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2004 | 31 | 3 | 4 | — | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2003 | 51 | 3 | 3 | 1 | Engine and Engine Cooling | Routine | |
| 2002 | 54 | 2 | 4 | 3 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2001 | 4 | 0 | 1 | — | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2000 | 29 | 0 | — | 3 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 1999 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 5 | Fuel System, Other › Storage › Fuel Gauge System | Routine | |
| 1998 | 39 | 0 | — | 1 | Electrical System › 12v/24v/48v Battery | Routine | |
| 1997 | 7 | 0 | — | 3 | Air Bags › Frontal | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.