1986 Mercedes-Benz 300 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1986 Mercedes-Benz 300, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Airbags844.4%
- Driver assistance316.7%
- Seat belts211.1%
- Electrical15.6%
- Powertrain (other)15.6%
- Tires & wheels15.6%
- Body & structure15.6%
- Brakes15.6%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
DRIVER'S AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHILE VEHCLE WAS IN MOTION ,RESULTING IN MINOR INJURIES.VEHICLE WAS NOT INVOLVED IN A COLLSION. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED 11 TIMES, ONCE RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND COLLISION. NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG DURING ACCIDENT. *SD
VEHICLES THROTTLE LINKAGE BROKE WHILE DRIVING 2 TIMES DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE ACCELERATION. TT
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
SEAT BELT BOLTS 'FIRED', CAUSING HEARING LOSS.
DRIVESHAFT FAILURE, CAUSING AIR BAG TO BLOW UP. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED 11 TIMES, ONCE RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL AND COLLISION. NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG DURING ACCIDENT. *SD
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
DRIVESHAFT FAILURE, CAUSING AIR BAG TO BLOW UP. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHILE DRIVING RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. THE NEXT DAY IT WAS NOTED THAT OTHER 3 TIRES HAD TREAD SEPARATION. INSPECTION REVEALED TIRES WERE DEFECTIVE. *TT *NLM
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS FAILED, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO LOCK THE DOORS. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHEN THE DRIVER PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE IT ROLLED BACKWARD VERY FAST THAT THE DRIVER WAS PUSHING HER BRAKES AND THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .