RoadVitals

1994 Mercedes-Benz 280

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.
18
Latest Jul 4, 2011
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.
6
4 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 18 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1994 Mercedes-Benz 280, most frequently naming the electrical, driver assistance and engine categories.

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

  • Electrical1047.6%
  • Driver assistance314.3%
  • Engine29.5%
  • Brakes29.5%
  • Visibility14.8%
  • Body & structure14.8%
  • Suspension14.8%
  • Airbags14.8%

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 18
Electrical
Filed Jul 4, 2011
Fire reported

1994 C280 MERCEDES CAUGHT FIRE AFTER BEING DRIVEN FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES. MERCEDES WAS DESTROYED AND CAR NEXT TO IT TOTALED AS WELL. HOUSE DAMAGED (CARS WERE IN DRIVEWAY). FIRE INSPECTOR SAID FIRE STARTED UNDER HOOD, APPEARS IT WAS PROBABLY THE WIRING HARNESS. FIREMEN HAD TO USE SPECIAL FOAM TO PUT FIRE OUT BECAUSE OF MAGNESIUM PARTS ON MERCEDES, CAN'T USE WATER BECAUSE IT WILL CAUSE AN EXPLOSION. IT BURNED FOR OVER AN HOUR AND TOOK THE FIREMEN AT LEAST HALF AN HOUR TO PUT IT OUT. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY MERCEDES BENZ. *TR

NHTSA ID
10410371
Incident
Jul 1, 2011
Mileage
250,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jun 27, 2010
Fire reported

ENGINE WIRING HARNESS HAS BRITTLE INSULATION; HAS HUNDREDS OF CRACKS; INSULATION IS FALLING OFF OF WIRES; IS SHORT CIRCUITING, MOTOR IS RUNNING ROUGH; MISSING SOME; SOUNDS LIKE ITS NOT RUNNING ON ALL CYLINDERS. WIRING HARNESS IS HEATING WHERE IT IS SHORT CIRCUITING. I HAVE SEEN SOME SMOKING; WAS ON FIRE ONCE SO FAR. *TR

NHTSA ID
10340330
Incident
Jun 25, 2010
Mileage
154,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Aug 13, 2008

I HAVE A 1994 MERCEDEZ BENZ C280 AND WAS PURCHASED IN 2004 WITH APPROXIMATELY 94,000 MILES. NOT LONG AFTER HAVING THE CAR I START HAVING ERRATIC MISFIRE CODES SHOWING UP ON THE COMPUTER. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE A WIRING HARNESS PROBLEM WHICH THIS MAKE AND YEAR OF CAR IS HAVING. NOW I FIND ON THE INTERNET A REPORT DATED IN 2007 OF OVER 300 PEOPLE WITH MERCEDEZ VEHICLES FROM 1991 TO 1996 HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEM. THIS SITE ASK IF I WOULD ADD MY CAR TO THE LIST.*TR

NHTSA ID
10237975
Incident
Aug 13, 2008
Mileage
94,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Aug 7, 2008
Fire reported

1994 C280 MERCEDES HAS ENGINE WIRING HARNESS DEFECT DUE TO WIRES SHEARING AND BEING EXPOSED. FROM INTERNET RESEARCH IT IS CLEAR THAT THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT AND THAT THE INSULATION IS NOT HEAT RESISTANT. THE CAR STARTED TO SMOKE DUE TO EXPOSED WIRES TOUCHING AND SHORTED OUT A.C. THE CAR CANNOT BE DRIVEN NOW UNTIL WIRING HARNESS IS REPLACED DUE TO RISK OF FIRE. THIS CAR IS A DEATH TRAP - JUST GLAD I CAUGHT IT WHEN I DID. *TR

NHTSA ID
10237366
Incident
Aug 1, 2008
Mileage
123,000 mi
Engine
Filed Apr 29, 2008

MY 1994 MERCEDES BENZ WOULD STOP IN TRAFFIC FOR NO REASON. *TR

NHTSA ID
10226079
Incident
Sep 1, 2007
Mileage
70,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jan 8, 2008

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1994 MERCEDES BENZ 280. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, IT BEGAN HESITATING AND SURGING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE FAILURE WAS NOTICED WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER ON SIX SEPARATE OCCASIONS AND THEY STATED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS FAILED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000.

NHTSA ID
10214160
Incident
Feb 6, 2007
Mileage
89,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Aug 23, 2006
Fire reported

THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS (THAT SUPPLIES 12 VOLTS DC TO THE COILS THAT CONVERT IT INTO HIGH VOLTAGE FOR USE IN THE SPARK PLUGS), HAD A CRITICAL FAILURE IN THE WIRE INSULATION. OVER TIME THE INSULATION WILL HARDEN AND CRACK TO THE POINT THAT WIRES SHORT OUT. THIS FAILURE IS NOT LIMITED TO ONLY THIS HARNESS, IN FACT IT HAS BEEN FOUND TO CAUSE ELECTRICAL FIRES IN OTHER PARTS OF THE CAR. THOUGH MY CAR HAS NOT HAD A FIRE, THE HARNESS DID HAVE THIS INSULATION FAILURE, WHICH CAUSED CYLINDERS 2 AND 5 TO MISFIRE COMPLETELY, ON A PERMANENT BASIS UNTIL I REPLACED THE HARNESS AT A COST OF $800 FOR THE PART ALONE. I REPLACED THE PART MYSELF TO SAVE THE COST OF SHOP TIME. THIS WAS A CRITICAL SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IT SEVERELY IMPACTED THE POWER AVAILABLE IN THE CAR, AND WHEN ENTERING A HEAVILY TRAVELED INTERSECTION FROM A STOP SIGN, I WAS NEARLY T-BONED BY AN ONCOMING CAR BECAUSE IT WAS SO DIFFICULT TO GET THE CAR UP TO SPEED. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE FOR MODEL YEARS 1994-1997. I KNOW OF A PERSON WHO LIVES NOT FAR FROM ME, WHO EXPERIENCED AN ENGINE FIRE DUE TO THIS FAILURE. *JB

NHTSA ID
10166285
Incident
Jul 13, 2006
Mileage
173,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Apr 1, 2006

WIRING HARNESS INSULATION DISINTEGRATION PROBLEM WITH A 1994 MERCEDES BENZ C280 [XXX] WIRING HARNESS INSULATION FAILURE CAUSING FREQUENT HESITATION OF THE VEHICLE . THIS PROBLEM HAS CAUSED SOME SAFETY CONCERNS WHEN PULLING INTO TRAFFIC. TO SUM IT UP MERCEDES IS ALL TO AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT YET HAS OFFERED LIMITED ASSISTANCE TO THE CONSUMER. I AM CURRENTLY PURSUING ASSISTANCE FROM DAIMLER BENZ TO FIX THE PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. I WILL FOLLOW UP WITH THE RESULTS OF HOW MERCEDES HANDLES THIS PROBLEM. *JB UPDATED 07/16/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
10154342
Incident
Mar 31, 2006
Mileage
98,000 mi

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Mercedes-Benz 280 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2000600—
1999300—
1998300—
1997500—
1996130037.7
1995470040.7
1994Viewing180045.7
1988001—
1987001—
1986001—
1985001—
1984001—
1976010—
1973020—
1972010—
1971030—

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.