RoadVitals

1995 Mercedes-Benz 220

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.
14
Latest Mar 4, 2014
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.
0
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.
0
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.
4
1 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 14 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1995 Mercedes-Benz 220, most frequently naming the electrical, driver assistance and fuel system categories. 2 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

  • Electrical1055.6%
  • Driver assistance211.1%
  • Fuel system211.1%
  • Body & structure15.6%
  • Airbags15.6%
  • Engine15.6%
  • Visibility15.6%

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

View all 14
Airbags
Filed Mar 4, 2014
1 injury reported

MY MERCEDES BENZ WAS DRIVEN ON HIGHWAY 5 TOWARDS STOCKTON CA AT 65 MILES / HOUR. THE TRAFFIC SUDDENLY STOPPED!. THE DISTANCE TO FRONT VEHICLE WAS MUCH SHORTER TO RESPOND QUICKLY BY PRESSING THE BRAKE. THE MERCEDES REAR ENDED AND CRUSHED THE FRONT CHEVROLET, PUSHED IT INTO A COUPLE OF MORE CARS AHEAD IN THE SAME LANE. THE FRONT OF THE MERCEDES PART SIDE TOTALLY JAMMED AND WAS TOTALED AND THE AIRBAGS FAILED TO OPEN!, AND THE IMPACT RESULTED IN CHEST, NECK AND BACK INJURY TO MERCEDES BENZ DRIVER.

NHTSA ID
10567347
Incident
Dec 22, 2013
Mileage
89,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jan 18, 2014

CAR REFUSED TO START. MECHANIC "JIGGLED" THE WIRING HARNESS. THE CAR STARTED, AND CONTINUES TO START. HOWEVER, THE HARNESS IS MADE OF BIODEGRADEABLE MATERIALS, AND IS CRACKED AND TURNING INTO DUST. NEEDS REPLACING. UNDERSTAND IT COULD CATCH FIRE. THIS IS AN ALL TOO COMMON PROBLEM WITH M-B, AND I DON'T KNOW WHY THIS HASN'T BEEN ADDRESSED YET. *TR

NHTSA ID
10560502
Incident
Dec 4, 2012
Mileage
252,000 mi
Driver assistanceElectricalFuel system
Filed Nov 8, 2013
Fire reported

DRIVING AND CAR STALLED IN INTERSECTION - SMELT SMOKE - WOULD NOT START, TOWED HOME THEN SURPRISINGLY STARTED NEXT DAY, THIS PROBLEM CONTINUED OVER AND OVER DESPITE REPLACING FUEL PUMP, TUNE-UP - MECHANIC RAN A OBD PROGRAM WHICH SHOWED MANY ERRORS, THE MECHANIC INFORMED ME (AND SHOWED ME) THE WIRING HARNESS AND TOLD ME TO "GET RID OF THE CAR" IT WAS DISINTEGRATING - EXPOSED WIRE AND INSULATION ON WIRES WAS CRACKED AND CRUMBLING AND IN SOME PLACES WIRES WERE COMPLETELY EXPOSED. I COULD NOT AFFORD THIS EXPENSIVE REPAIR AND SO MY CAR SAT FOR A LONG TIME AND NOW I HAD A NEW MOTOR AND TRANSMISSION INSTALLED AND FEEL I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY THIS ADDITIONAL AND VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. *TR

NHTSA ID
10551588
Incident
Oct 1, 2009
Electrical
Filed Mar 6, 2011

INSULATION CRACKING AND FALLING OFF THE WIRING HARNESS ON MY 1995 C-220 MERCEDES. CAR STALL AND WILL NOT RUN AFTER DRIVING THRU A CAR WASH.. MERCEDES IS RESPONSIBLE, AND A GREAT DANGER FOR A FIRE AND FATAL ACCIDENT. I RETIRED AFTER WORKING FOR FORD MOTOR COMPANY AS A SAFETY ENGINEER. I HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING. *TR

NHTSA ID
10386629
Incident
Jan 1, 1996
Mileage
10,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jul 17, 2008
Fire reported

CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE BECUASE OF FAULTY WIRING HARNESS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10234692
Incident
Jul 17, 2008
Mileage
107,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jun 4, 2008
Fire reported

THE INSULATION ON THE WIRING HARNESS IN MY 1995 C220 HAS DETERIORATED SO MUCH THAT IT SPARKED FIRE ON SECTIONS OF THE HARNESS. I HAVE JUST LEARNED THAT MB USA IS NOT OWNING UP TO THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM. WHY IS THE COMPANY NOT PROVIDING SOME MEANS TO HAVE OWNERS REPLACE IT UNDER A SHARED COST PROGRAM? *TR

NHTSA ID
10229972
Incident
Jun 2, 2008
Electrical
Filed Nov 16, 2007

1995 MERCEDES C220 ENGINE WIRING HARNESS DEFECT. CAUSING FAILURE OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS OF AUTOMOBILE. AUTOMOBILE STOPPED ABRUPTLY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. *TR

NHTSA ID
10209116
Incident
Nov 13, 2007
Electrical
Filed Jun 13, 2006

I BOUGH MY MERCEDES C220 1995 FROM ANOTHER OWNER 3 YEARS AGO. ON MARCH OF THIS YEAR I WAS TOLD BY MY MECHANIC THAT THE WIRING HARNESS IS DETERIORATING AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED OTHERWISE ISSUES ARE GOING TO START POPPING UP. ALREADY THE FIRST DID - FUELING SYSTEM ISSUES. I WAS TOLD THAT I COULD HAVE THE HARNESS REPLACED OR 1300$ ( US $ )*JB

NHTSA ID
10159763
Incident
Mar 31, 2006

Manufacturer communications

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

463040

STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP

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

MBNA82/81

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

BONDING HEADLAMP LENS TO HOUSING. *TW

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 220 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2003000—
2002000—
2001100—
2000201—
1997000—
1996500—
1995Viewing140046.7
1994500—
1993000—
1988001—
1987001—
1986001—
1985001—
1984001—
1973010—
1972010—
1971010—
1968010—

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.