Owners filed 5 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the electrical system. No safety recall has been issued.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts › Pretensioner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Electrical System › Wiring | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Electrical System | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1997 MERCEDES BENZ E-420. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE SEAT BELT MALFUNCTION. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE SEAT BELT INADVERTENTLY TIGHTENED CAUSING THE CONSUMERS' HEAD TO HIT THE BACK OF THE SEAT. THE CONSUMER HAD A THROBBING HEAD PAIN. THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED AFTER THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. *JS
MY 1997 MERCEDES BENZ E420 WENT IN TO LIMP MODE WITH NO WARNING WHILE MERGING ON TO 65 MPH TRAFFIC, ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. IT FAILED TO SHIFT WITH NO WARNING
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 MERCEDES BENZ E420. AFTER STOPPING, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT OUT OF LOW GEAR. IN ADDITION, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE RADIO FAILED TO OPERATE AND THE DOORS FAILED TO LOCK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,000. UPDATED 3/17/15*CN UPDATED 8/18/2015 *JS
THE MERCEDES BENZ E-420 ELECTRICAL WIRING WAS MANUFACTURED FROM BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS. AFTER SEVERAL YEARS THE INSULATION ON THE WIRING HARNESS BEGAN TO DETERIORATE AND FAIL. THIS LEAD TO A CYCLE OF INCREASINGLY SEVERE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS ALSO LEAD TO THE SAFETY ON FREEWAY WHERE THE OTHER DRIVER CAN NOT SEE MY BRAKE LIGHTS WHEN I AM BRAKING DUE TO THIS WIRING ISSUE. *TR
COCKPIT SMELT LIKE SMOKE, BECAME HARD TO SEE. PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. VERY SCARY. IS THERE A RECALL ON THIS ISSUES? *TR
5 of 5 complaints, reproduced as filed.
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 — this page | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 1994 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
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.