RoadVitals

2003 Mercedes-Benz 203

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
Latest Sep 15, 2006
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
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InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
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Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
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Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2003 Mercedes-Benz 203, most frequently naming the powertrain (other) category. 8 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Powertrain (other)1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Powertrain (other)
Filed Sep 15, 2006

1) MANUFACTURE DEFECT IN POWERTRAIN SYSTEM. 2) POSSIBLE FAILURE DURING DRIVING AND POSSIBLE OVERHEAT OR UNKNOWN PROBLEM DOWN THE ROAD. 3) HAVE GIVING TO DEALER MORE THEN 5 TIMES TO FIX THE VIBRATION PROBLEM. SINCE VISIT(WITH IN WARRANTY PERIOD), DEALER HAD REPLACED LEAKING RADIATOR, ENGINE MOUNT, DRIVE SHAFT, FLASH TOURQE CONVERTER AND NEW TRANSMISSION. THE PROBLEM STILL EXIST AND EVEN THE SHOP FOREMAN SAID THIS IS NOT RIGHT....

NHTSA ID
10168395
Incident
Jun 15, 2006
Mileage
30,000 mi

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

SB-91-60-193

AIR BAGS

MERCEDES: AIRBAG DURABILITY AND RELIABILITY. AIR BAG SRS CONTROL MODULE (N2/2) DOES NOT HAVE A SET SHELF LIFE AND WILL NORMALLY BE RELIABLE FOR THE LIFE OF A VEHICLE. WITH 164, 216 221, 251 AND NEWER, THE AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT CAN BE RESET FIVE TIMES. WITH MODES 202, 210 AND NEWER, THE AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT CAN BE RESET THREE TIMES. EARLIER MODELS WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THEIR AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT AND TRIGGERED RESTRAIN COMPONENTS CHANGED ONLY AFTER AN ACCIDENT. NO MODELS OR MODEL YEARS LISTED. *PE

463040

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP

FLOW NOISES FROM AREA OF POWER STEERING PUMP AND/OR FOAMING OF POWER STEERING OIL IN RESERVOIR. *TT

424523E

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

FAILURE CODES C1140 AND/OR C1145 IN THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY PROGRAM (ESP). *TT THIS BULLETIN REPLACES PREVIOUS VERSION DATED 03/25/03. *TT

2003030009

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

CORRECT ASSEMBLY OF AIR INTAKE COVER CAP. *TT

424534

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING

UPDATE OF ESP CONTROL UNIT WIRING DIAGRAM. MODEL YEAR 2004 ALSO INCLUDED. *JB

PB070028

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

SUBJECT REGARDING ENGINE CONTROL UNIT SOFTWARE UPGRADE. (MERCEDES BENZ SLK320, 2002 & 2003, MERCEDES BENZ 230, 2003) *JB

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Mercedes-Benz 203 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2003Viewing100—
2002100—
2001200—
2000000—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.