RoadVitals

1996 Mercedes-Benz 300 Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints 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.
8
Latest Oct 6, 2008
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
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Jun 10, 1997

What this page shows

Our database holds 8 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1996 Mercedes-Benz 300. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–8 of 8

Transmission
Filed Oct 6, 2008

CAR LOOSING POWER WHEN DRIVING. *TR

NHTSA ID
10244498
Incident
Sep 28, 2008
Mileage
260,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jan 2, 2008

CAR STALLS AT 40+ MPH IN TRAFFIC APPARENTLY CHOKED FOR FUEL. AFTER 5 TO 10 MINUTES AT REST - THE CAR CAN BE STARTED ALTHOUGH THE KEY MUST BE HELD IN THE START POSITION FOR 30 TO 40 SECONDS. THIS IS A 1996 300D MERCEDES BENZ 4-DOOR SEDAN. IT WAS DIAGNOSED BY A CERTIFIED MERCEDES BENZE REPAIR CENTER, CUMMINS AUTOMOTIVE, WHICH VERIFIED THRU FAULT CODES THAT HE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS IS BAD. UPON INSPECTION THEY HAVE FOUND INSULATION WEAR THAT HAS CAUSED THE FAULT (WIRES TOUCHING EACH OTHER) THAT HAS CAUSED THE STALLS.*CN

NHTSA ID
10213383
Incident
Dec 17, 2007
Mileage
205,650 mi
ElectricalEngineFuel system+3 more
Filed Aug 27, 2004

DRIVING AT 70 MPH ON CRUISE CONTROL AND ELECTRONICS ON FRONT DASH WENT BLANK, CAR DECELERATED, AND I HAD TO GET OFF THE ROAD BEFORE IT STOPPED. CAR WOULD NOT START FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES. WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND DRIVE TO SAFETY. DROVE CAR HOME AFTER A FEW DAYS - IN AREA AWAY FROM HOME AND HAD TO USE RENTAL. ON RETURN HOME WITH VEHICLE, IT AGAIN STALLED OUT WHILE DRIVING AT 40MPH ON A DRAWBRIDGE AT NIGHT! AGAIN, CAR WAS ABLE TO EVENTUALLY GET RESTARTED AND DRIVEN TO SAFETY. I HAVE HAD CAR AT MERCEDES DEALERSHIP AND TWO OTHER CAR REPAIR CENTERS THAT WERE ENDORSED. NO ONE CAN FIX THE DEFECT. I HAVE SPENT OVER $12,000 OVER LESS THAN 2 YEARS TO NO AVAIL. WE JUST CONTINUE TO GET MILKED FOR MONEY. THE CAR DOES HAVE 156K MILEAGE ON IT, BUT IS A DIESEL AND HAS BEEN WELL CARED FOR DESPITE THE MILEAGE WITH MAINTENANCE CHECKS AS WARRANTED BY THE DEALER.*AK

NHTSA ID
10088701
Incident
Aug 10, 2004
Mileage
159,600 mi
Suspension
Filed Apr 1, 2004

THE WELDED BRACKET RUSTED, AND IN APRIL 2003, THE LEFT HAND COIL SPRING BRACKET FAILED. ALSO, IN FEBUARY 2004, THE RIGHT HAND COIL SPRING BRACKET FAILED. *AK THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE JUMPED INTO THE AIR, MADE NOISES, AND A BLACK OBJECT HAD FLOWN OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. EVERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASH AND THE SPEEDOMETER FAILED. THE "EARS" OF THE BRACKET THAT WERE WELDED ALONG THE BODY CAPTURED WATER WHICH CAUSED THE BRACKET TO SHEAR OFF AND THE SPRING(S) TO FAIL. *SC *JB

NHTSA ID
10062908
Incident
Apr 18, 2003
Mileage
160,000 mi
Tires & wheels
Filed Nov 5, 2003

PROBLEMS WITH WRONG SIZE TIRE ON VEHICLE.*MR CONSUMER RETURNED VEHICLE TO PURCHASING DEALER WHO REPLACED THE TIRES WITH THE CORRECT SIZE AT NO CHARGE. *PH

NHTSA ID
10048204
Suspension
Filed Sep 29, 2003

WHILE SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A TURN CONSUMER HEARD A POPPING NOISE, THEN A BANG, THE RIGHT FRONT COIL SPRING UPPER CRADLE FAILED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED.*AK

NHTSA ID
10041827
Mileage
100,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed May 15, 1998

HEADLIGHT BULBS CONTINUE TO FAIL.

NHTSA ID
535585
Body & structureHeating & air conditioningDriver assistance+1 more
Filed Jun 10, 1997

RATTLE IN ONE OF THE DOORS.

NHTSA ID
518437

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .