RoadVitals

2004 Mercedes-Benz 230

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.
6
Latest Jun 3, 2012
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.
1
2 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2004 Mercedes-Benz 230, most frequently naming the engine, airbags and heating & air conditioning categories. 9 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

  • Engine228.6%
  • Airbags114.3%
  • Heating & air conditioning114.3%
  • Electrical114.3%
  • Powertrain (other)114.3%
  • Transmission114.3%

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

Electrical
Filed Jun 3, 2012

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. REPAIR DONE TO FIX ISSUE FOUND AS STATED BY MERCEDES PARK PLACE TECH IN DALLAS TX - 'FOUND ENGINE CONTROL MODULE SENDING INCORRECT SIGNALS DUE TO OIL DAMAGE. ALSO FOUND AIR INTAKE TEMP SENSOR WITH OIL DAMAGE. NECESSARY TO REPLACE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE AND INTAKE TEMP SENSOR. REPLACED ENGINE WIRING HARNESS, CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSORS AND BOTH O2 SENSORS. THE TOTAL CHARGE WAS $3432.12. THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM DUE TO MANUFACTURE DEFECT THAT HAD SUBSEQUENT RECALL 2009100001. THIS RECALL WAS PERFORMED ON MY CAR ON 7/25/2011. BY THIS TIME I HAD ALREADY PAID FOR THE REPAIR AND THEREFORE NO ISSUE WAS FOUND OR REPAIR REQUIRED.. I BELIEVE THAT I SHOULD BE REFUNDED FOR THE THIS REPAIR SINCE IT WAS A RECALL. *TR

NHTSA ID
10460392
Incident
Mar 10, 2010
Mileage
86,314 mi
EnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Feb 27, 2012
1 injury reported

WAS DRIVING ON EXPRESSWAY TODAY 2/27/1980 WHEN MY 2004 MERCEDES 230 WENT FROM 65 TO 35MPH ALMOST WAS KILLED BY A SEMI TRUCK BEHIND ME!!!! LOOKED ONLINE TODAY TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS WELL I WENT TO ONE SITE OVER 200 COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM. THEIR IS ALSO A PENDING CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ABOUT THIS PROBLEM IT IS VERY VERY DANGEROUS AND I WAS ALMOST KILLED TODAY BY MY OWN CAR!!!!! 2/27/1980 130PM THIS HAPPENED ON MY BIRTHDAY NOW IAM HAVING IT TOWED AND REPAIRED AND I HAVE SORE NECK ALSO. PLEASE CHECK INTO THIS PLEASE. I SEE ONE SITE ALONE HAD OVER 200 COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND THEIR IS CLASSACTION LAWSUIT ALREADY PENDING FROM OCT 2010 ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I WAS ALMOST KILLED TODAY AND INJURED MY NECK!!!!!!! PLEASE CHECK INTO THIS THEIR HAD TO BE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM COULD HAVE GOTTEN ME KILLED TODAY AND OTHERS INJURED 65-70 MPH TO 35 MPH IN A SECOND ON THE HIGHWAY ISN'T SAFE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10449482
Incident
Feb 27, 2012
Mileage
124,000 mi
Engine
Filed Feb 5, 2007

TL*- CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING HER 2004 MERCEDES BENZ C230 THERE WERE EXHAUST FUMES ENTERING THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT OF FROM AN UNKNOWN AREA. THE FUMES CAUSED THE CONTACT TO HAVE A HEADACHE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE AT 25,000 MILES ,AND SHE WANTED THE DEALER TO CHANGE THE AIR RECIRCULATION, BUT THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY COULDN'T CHANGE IT DUE TO CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. INFORMATION WAS GIVEN TO THE DEALER BY THE MANUFACTURER. *AK

NHTSA ID
10181668
Incident
Dec 1, 2006
Mileage
26,555 mi
Transmission
Filed Dec 5, 2005

DT; THE CONTACT STATED TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE. ON THREE OCCASIONS THE CAR REVVED WITHOUT GEARING DOWN BEFORE COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. ON THE SECOND OCCURRENCE THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. ON ALL OCCASIONS, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY ARE ATTEMPTING TO FIND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
10144433
Incident
Nov 14, 2005
Mileage
24,705 mi
Heating & air conditioning
Filed Jun 24, 2005

DT: CONTACT STATES THERE IS A CHEMICAL SMELL COMING FROM THE VENTS. THE SERVICE DEALER REPLACED THE HEATER BOX TWICE AFTER A WEEK THE ODOR RETURNED. THE FOURTH TIME THIS HAPPENED THE SERVICE DEALER FINALLY STATED IT WAS CORROSION IN THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM. THE PADDING UNDERNEATH THE AIR CONDITIONER WAS REPLACED.*AK *SB *NM

NHTSA ID
10124836
Incident
May 16, 2005
Airbags
Filed May 10, 2005
Crash reported1 injury reported

DT: THE CONTACT VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A ACCIDENT LAST NIGHT LIKE IN THE CENTER OF VEHICLE. CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH SIDE AIR BAGS, AND NEITHER ONE OF THE SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. HE SAID THE VEHICLE WAS HIT PRETTY HARD AND THEY SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED. THE DEALER TOLD HIM THAT THE AIR BAGS COULD DEPLOY IF HIT IN DIFFERENT POSITIONS, AND THAT MAYBE WAS THE REASON WHY THEY DID NOT DEPLOY. MANUFACTURER SAID PRETTY MUCH THE SAME THING, AND THAT THEY WOULD LOOK INTO IT. ALSO, MANUFACTURER SAID THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN THE AIR BAGS MESSED UP, AND THEY WERE GOING TO DO AN INVESTIGATION. THE CONTACT DOES NOT FEEL SAFE IN THE VEHICLE SINCE THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.*AK

NHTSA ID
10120571
Incident
May 9, 2005

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

484656

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

SENSOTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL (SBC) NOISE DIAGNOSTIC FLOW CHARTS. MERCEDES-BENZ MODELS 211, 230 MODEL YEARS 2003-2005. *TT

424655

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:ABS WARNING LIGHT

ABS OR ESP EVENT CODE(S) STORED IN ESP (ELECTRONIC STABILITY PROGRAM) OR SBC (SENSOTRONIC BRAKE CONTROL) SYSTEM. MERCEDES-BENZ MODELS 199, 211, 219, 230 MODEL YEAR 2004-2006. *TT

5465130

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

PARKTRONIC TRIGGERS WITHOUT OBVIOUS CAUSE AT FRONT BUMPER IN MERCEDES MODEL NUMBERS 171/211/230. *TC

8235428

VISIBILITY:REAR WINDOW WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES

WINDSHIELD WASHER NOZZLES HEATING INOPERATIVE. *TC

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 230 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2004Viewing600—
2003500—
2002400—
2001300—
1999800—
1988101—
1987001—
1986001—
1985001—
1984001—
1978010—
1977010—
1974100—
1968020—

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.