RoadVitals

1980 Mercedes-Benz 300

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.
2
Latest Jul 15, 2004
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.
0

Overview

Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1980 Mercedes-Benz 300, most frequently naming the brakes, engine and transmission 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

  • Brakes133.3%
  • Engine133.3%
  • Transmission133.3%

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

Brakes
Filed Jul 15, 2004

INTERMITTENTLY WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP. WHEN THIS OCCURRED, EXCESSIVE FORCE HAD TO BE APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE, WHICH RESULTS IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. A FAILURE IN THE BRAKE VACUUM AIR PUMP CAUSED THIS PROBLEM TO OCCUR. WHEN THIS PART FAILED THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF POWER LOSS UNTIL THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED. THE BRAKE VACUUM AIR PUMP FAILED EVERY 5 YEARS AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *AK *JB

NHTSA ID
10075704
Incident
Jun 4, 1989
Mileage
97,000 mi
EngineTransmission
Filed May 6, 1995

PARKING PAWL ACTUATOR ROD FAILED DUE TO BEING DESIGNED WITH NYLON INSTEAD OF STEEL. (2ND VEHICLE FROM 486224) *SKD

NHTSA ID
479621
Incident
Jul 14, 1994

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Mercedes-Benz 300 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2002300—
1999600—
1998200—
1997500—
1996800—
1995160037.0
1994400—
1993391043.6
1992221044.8
1991192054.0
1990540—
1989510—
1988711—
1987291261.3
1986130357.9
1985502—
1984401—
1983600—
1982100—
1980Viewing200—
1978100—
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.