Electrical System
Filed Jun 26, 2016IN
THE WIRE HARNESS IS BRITTLE AND THE INSULATION IS DISINTEGRATING, RESULTING IN SHORTS AND ELECTRICAL FAILURES. THE HEADLIGHTS STOPPED WORKING UNEXPECTEDLY.
1997 Mercedes-Benz E 300
Routine
Owners filed 8 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system › 12v/24v/48v battery. No safety recall has been issued.
What fails
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension › Front | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train › Automatic Transmission | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Diesel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System › 12v/24v/48v Battery | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsExterior Lighting › Brake Lights
Filed Feb 6, 200789,000 milesNC
TL*- THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MERCEDES E300. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL THE REAR PASSENGER BRAKE LIGHT DID NOT ILLUMINATE. RECALL#05V505000 RELATED TO THE 1999 SLK MERCEDES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000. *AK
Suspension › Front
Filed May 4, 200697,000 milesVA
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35MPH A LOUD BANG WAS HEARD COMING FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. AFTER HEARING THE NOISE, THE VEHICLE BEGAN HANDLING DIFFERENTLY AND WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR INSPECTION WHO DETERMINED THE SUSPENSION HAD COLLAPSED ON FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. THE SUSPENSION HOUSING WAS ENTIRELY REPLACED AND THE ATTACHMENT OF THE SPRING TO THE BODY WAS RE WELDED. THE CONTACT IS CONCERNED THE PROBLEM COULD OCCUR ON THE DRIVER SIDE. THE MANUFACTURER PARTIALLY COVERED THE REPAIR AND ASKED THE CONTACT TO SIGN A CONFIDENTIALLY WAIVER BECAUSE OF A RECENT INFLUX OF VEHICLES BEING REPAIRED WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Diesel
Filed Sep 24, 2003MD
PROBLEMS WITH MERCEDES-BENZ E300 DIESEL.*MR THE CONSUMER HAS HAD ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH THE ENGINE HESITATING AND STALLING WHILE DRIVING AND HAS SPENT APPROX $3800.00 IN REPAIRS FOR DEFECTIVE VEHICLE. *CB
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
Filed Jul 22, 2002VA
ROTORS WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY, THEY WERE MAKING NOISE WHEN APPLYING BRAKES, AND THERE WAS EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE.CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER STATED THAT ROTORS WERE ONLY SUPPOSE TO LAST 20000 MILES.*AK
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Mar 24, 2002MI
THE FIRST ENGINE OIL LEAK WAS REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY AT 8/25/2000 (48,523 MILES) AND THE REPLACEMENT GASKETS ARE LEAKING AGAIN ON 9/15/2001 (AT 58,500 MILES). *AK
Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Dec 12, 2001FL
WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, GEARS SHIFTED BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN TWO GEARS; ACCELERATION AT 25-50 MPH. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER. *AK ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE AT 40 MPH AND VEHICLE IS BUCKING, DEALER REPLACED RESONANCE FLAP, AND FUEL INJECTION PUMP, PROBLEM STILL EXISTS, CONSUMER ALSO COMPLAINS OF POOR FUEL EFFICIENCY. *TT
Electrical System › 12v/24v/48v Battery
Filed Nov 14, 2001FL
WHILE STARTING VEHICLE BATTERY UNDER REAR PASSENGER SEAT HAD EXPLODED. DEALER/MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED AND WERE UNWILLING TO ASSIST. *AK CONSUMER STATES IN SPITE OF VARIOUS ATTEMPTS, A FOUL SMELL STILL REMAINS. *SLC
8 of 8 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Reading this record
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
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.
Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.