Mercedes Benz E500
Owners filed 460 complaints across 7 model years of the Mercedes Benz E500. The 2004 drew the most (142); the 2009 the fewest (1).
Model years7
Complaints460
Recalls13
Fires2
Deaths0
Every Mercedes Benz E500 model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 2006 | 50 | 4 | — | 1 | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 2005 | 140 | 3 | — | 4 | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 2004 | 142 | 3 | 2 | 3 | Fuel/Propulsion System | Routine | |
| 2003 | 125 | 3 | — | 4 | Service Brakes | Routine |
Which Mercedes Benz E500 years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 2004 is the weakest year on record, with 142 complaints concentrated in the fuel/propulsion system. It carries 3 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.