RoadVitals

1998 Mercedes-Benz 300 Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

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 Nov 19, 1999
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
2
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

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1998 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

  • Brakes150.0%
  • Fuel system150.0%

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

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

VERY PREMATURE BRAKE PAD AND ROTER REPLACEMENT REQUIRED, I HAVE SPOKEN TO DOZENS OF OWNERS OF THIS SAME VEHICLE AND WE ALL HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT. WHERE BRAKES TRADITIONALLY LAST 30,000 MILES +/- THIS MODELS BRAKES LAST 8,000-12,000 MILES. TECHNICIAN AT

NHTSA ID 715013 · filed Nov 19, 1999

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Fuel system

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

FRIDAY MORNING - 9:30 A.M. - 4/23/99 I DROVE FROM MY HOME (2368 BURMA HILLS DRIVE ) TO THE BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB ON MICHIGAN AVENUE. AND PARKED IN THEIR PARKING LOT. AFTER I HAD BEEN THERE APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES I WAS NOTIFIED MY GAS TANK WAS LEAKING BADLY. WITHTHE HELP OF CLUB EMPLOYEES WE SECURED THE AREA, AND PUT A LARGE CONTAINER UNDER THE VEHICLE TO CATCH THE GAS. AAA WAS CALLED TO TKE MY VEHICLE TO MCCONNELL AUTOMOTIVE . THE MANUFACTURER (MERCEDES) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED AND THEY INFORMED US THAT THE GAS TANK WAS NOT GUARANTEED AGAINST ROAD HAZARDS. I THINK THIS COMPLETELY EXPOSED PLASTIC TANK IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY SINCE IT IS ON A SPORTS UTILITY VEHICLE WHICH IS ADVERTISED FOR OFF THE ROAD USEAGE. I THINKTHE TANK SHOULD BE PROTECTED BY A STEEL GLIDE PLATE. THEY INFORMED ME THAT I COUD NOT INSTALL A PROTECTIVE PLATE OR IT WOULD VOID MY VEHICLE WARRANTY. FRANKLY I AM SCARED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE NOW THAT I SEE HOW VULNERABLE THE FUEL TANK IS TO DAMAGE. *AK

NHTSA ID 706958 · filed May 28, 1999

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

Data on this page last refreshed .