1993 Mercedes Benz E Class

Routine

Owners filed 7 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system › wiring › front underhood. It has been recalled 2 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood2
000
Electrical System › Wiring2
000
Electrical System2
010
Electrical System › Ignition › Module1
000

2 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Exterior Lighting09E012000
Filed Apr 7, 200916,270 vehiclesSabersport

Defect. SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

Risk. DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy. SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.

Electrical System › Wiring95V031000
Filed Feb 21, 199550,000 vehiclesMercedes-Benz Usa, Inc.

Defect. THE FRONT PASSENGER METAL FOOT REST CAN, OVER TIME, ABRADE THROUGH THE WIRING HARNESS UNDER THE FOOT REST CAUSING THE WIRING HARNESS TO SHORT CIRCUIT.

Risk. A SHORT CIRCUIT CAN CAUSE THE WIRES TO OVERHEAT, STALL THE ENGINE, OR INADVERTENTLY DEPLOY AN AIRBAG, ANY OF THESE INCREASES THE POTENTIAL FOR A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL INSTALL ADDITIONAL WIRING HARNESS CABLE FASTENER TIES AND EDGE PROTECTIVE COVERING FOR SHARP EDGES OF THE METAL FOOT REST.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Electrical System
Filed Nov 15, 201053,999 milesCA

RECENTLY MY 53K MILE (VERY LOW MILEAGE) 1993 MERCEDES 300E 2.8 SUDDENLY STALLED (WITHOUT ANY WARNING) ON A LOCAL EXPRESSWAY, WHICH ALMOST CAUSED A SERIOUS CAR ACCIDENT (THE CAR FROM BEHIND ALMOST HIT ME). AFTER I HIRED A MECHANIC TO TAKE A LOOK, HE FOUND THAT THE ENGINE STALL WAS CAUSED BY BIO-DEGRADABLE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS THAT WAS INSTALLED IN THIS CAR (ALSO SEE HTTP://WWW.MERCEDESDEFECTS.COM/2008/04/WIRE-HARNESS-DEFECT.HTML#COMMENT-FORM). I CALLED MERCEDES CUSTOMER SERVICE BUT THEY TOLD ME THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS CAR. THIS ENGINE STALL ISSUE HAPPENED AGAIN FEW DAYS AGO, AND IT'S MAKING SUCH A WELL-MAINTAINED LOW MILEAGE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I URGE THE NHTSA SHOULD CONTACT MERCEDES AND ISSUE A FORMAL RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE. THANKS! *TR

Electrical SystemFire
Filed Feb 16, 2009155,000 milesTX

WIRING HARNESS DEFECT / FAILURE, LEADING TO INOPERABLE AND FIRE. *TR

Electrical System › Wiring
Filed Jul 13, 2007TX

THE INSULATION ON THE ENGININE WIREING HARNESS HAS DISENTIGRATED. THIS IS THE ENGINE / FUEL INJECTION WIRING HARNESS AND IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH 1991-1996 MERCEDES-BENZ M104 ENGINES. THIS IS A MAJOR FIRE RISK AS WELL AS AN ACCIDENT HAZARD AS IT WILL CAUSE THE ENGINE (AND POWER STEERING, BRAKES, ETC.) TO FAIL AT SPEED. MERCEDES WILL NOT RECALL THE PART AND RELACEMENT IS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS.

Electrical System › Wiring
Filed Nov 3, 200653,090 milesPA

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHEN THE ACCELERATOR WAS DEPRESSED. INTENSE PRESSURE ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS REQUIRED TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE. AFTER BEING TAKEN TO A PRIVATE REPAIR SHOP, THE MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS WAS DETERIORATED. THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED, BUT THE PROBLEMS PERSISTED. THERE WAS A NHTSA RECALL # 95V031000, WHICH PERTAINED TO THE WIRING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN. SECONDLY, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE ANTI-THEFT ALARM ACTIVATED, AND WOULD NOT DISENGAGE UNTIL THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED. A MANUFACTURER TECHNICIAN DISCONNECTED THE ANTI-THEFT CONTROLLER, WHICH CORRECTED THE PROBLEM.

Electrical System › Ignition › Module
Filed Mar 8, 200670,000 milesCA

THE IGNITION MODULE (ALSO KNOWN AS AN EZL) IN MY 500E SHORTED OUT, CAUSING ME TO LOSE SPARK TO 4 OUT OF 8 ENGINE CYLINDERS (ONE-HALF OF MY ENGINE), AND THRU MY CAR INTO "LIMP-HOME" MODE, NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THIS HAPPENED WHILE I WAS BEGINNING TO MERGE ONTO THE #405 FREEWAY IN LOS ANGELES. I BELIEVE THE DISINTEGRATING ENGINE WIRING HARNESS MERCEDES HAS INSTALLED IN THE MAJORITY OF THEIR MODEL YEAR 1991-1995 PRODUCTION IS WHAT CAUSED THIS OUTRAGEOUSLY EXPENSIVE MODULE TO FAIL, PLACING ME IN A VERY DANGEROUS AND TENSE SITUATION. PLEASE SEE THE FOLLOWING WEB PAGE TO READ NEARLY ONE-HUNDRED FIFTY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS: HTTP://USERS.ADELPHIA.NET/~INFOAGE1/COMPLAINTS_NHTSA_MERCEDES_WIRING_HARNESS_FAILURES_1992_1995.HTML. *NM

Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood
Filed Feb 7, 2004131,050 milesSC

WIRING HARNESS: UNDER HOOD TOP OF MOTOR FAILED. SHEATHING HAS BECOME BRITTLE AND INDIVIDUAL WIRING STRANDS HAVE MELTED TOGETHER. VEHICLE QUIT RUNNING AND WOULD NOT RESTART. BURNT WIRE COULD BE SMELLED WHEN HOOD WAS RAISED.*AK

Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood
Filed Feb 14, 200375,000 milesPA

MY 1993 300CE WIRING HARNESS HAS TOTALLY DRIED UP AND CRACKED IN NUMEROUS PLACES. RESULTING IN INTERNITTANT ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AND WASTED DOLLARS SPENT ON TROUBLE SHOOTING.

7 of 7 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2003
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20085000Routine
200610100Routine
20059300Routine
200415400Routine
200345400Routine
20028000Routine
200115000Routine
200034100Routine
199913100Routine
199824000Routine
199738100Routine
199616200Routine
199521220Routine
199438250Routine
1993 — this page7210Routine
19920200Routine

Compare every E Class year →

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.

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: Apr 7, 2009. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.