RoadVitals

1986 Mercedes-Benz 300E 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.
11
Latest Nov 13, 2009
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.
1
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 Aug 28, 1996

What this page shows

Our database holds 11 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1986 Mercedes-Benz 300E. 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 1–11 of 11

Driver assistance
Filed Nov 13, 2009

SUDDEN ACCELERATION SYNDROME. I BELIEVE I ELIMINATED THIS PROBLEM BY DISCONNECTING THE CRUISE CONTROL AMP LOCATED UNDER THE DASH BOARD BY UNPLUGGING CABLE ATTACHED TO THE UNIT. WAS ABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM BY RECONNECTING THE ATTACHED CABLE. BELIEVE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEMS DESIGN DEFECTIVE. AT PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUND SOME COMPLAINTS REGARDING SUDDEN ACCELERATION SYNDROME PERTAINING TOO THIS VEHICLE- MODEL- YEAR. LUCKY MINE IS A STICK SHIFT IN THAT REGARD. DAIMLER AND NHTSA BOTH WERE NOTIFIED. DAIMLER WOULD CHARGE FOR THE DIAGNOSES AND REPAIR. APPARENTLY THERE IS NOT ENOUGH COMPLAINTS TO WARRANT A RECALL. LAW IS COMPLICATED. I CAN LIVE WITHOUT THE LUXURY OF CRUISE CONTROL AND EXORBITANT REPAIR COST. *TR

NHTSA ID
10292058
Incident
Jan 1, 2005
Mileage
150 mi
Fuel system
Filed Jan 12, 2006

I JUST EXPERIENCED MY 4TH FUEL TANK FRACTURE OVER 5 YEARS. THE FRACTURES OCCUR IN THE SURFACE OF THE TANK NOT CAUSED BY WEAR OF ANY SORT. THEY JUST SPONTANEOUSLY OCCUR. THE TANK IS COMPLETELY FACTORY INSTALLED IN THE TRUNK OF THE CAR THIS ALLOWS FUMES TO ENTER THE ENTIRE CAR. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED A FRACTURED TANK IN ANY BRAND IN 40 YEARS OF DRIVING. THIS IS A SERIOUS MATTER. *JB

NHTSA ID
10147609
Incident
Jan 4, 2006
Mileage
180,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Aug 12, 2005

I HAVE EXPERIENCED HAIRLINE CRACK FAILURES IN THREE (3) SEPARATE FUEL TANKS PLACED INTO MY 1986 MERCEDES 300E 4 DOOR SEDAN OVER 6 YEARS. THESE CRACKS NEVER ALLOWED LIQUID TO ESCAPE, BUT FUMES DID REPEATEDLY EMIT INTO THE CAR TRUNK AND PASSENGER CABIN. AFTER BEING IN PLACE FOR 9 MONTHS THE 3RD TANK IS NOW LEAKING FUMES AND I HAVE DISCOVERED STAINING WHERE THE CRACKS EXIST. THIS IS, BY ITSELF, A VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION. TO HAPPEN THREE TIMES WITH THREE DIFFERENT REPLACEMENT TANKS IS EXCEPTIONAL! I WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT THIS INDICATES THERE MIGHT BE OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM INDICATING THAT THEIR MIGHT BE AN ORIGINAL DESIGN DEFECT IN THE TANK, ITS LOCATION (IT MIGHT BE GETTING SCRAPED BY SURROUNDING SHEET METAL), OR ITS BASIC MATERIAL CONSTITUTION; IE, TOO THIN OR POORLY ENGINEERED MATERIALS. *NM

NHTSA ID
10132581
Incident
Aug 10, 2005
Mileage
100,000 mi
Tires & wheels
Filed Nov 28, 2004

BLOWOUT, WITH 4/32 TREAD LEFT, OF SCHWAB Z800 ULTRA RADIAL WITH 100,000 MILE WARRANTY, AT APPROX 50,200 MILES, OCCURRED AS DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEED ON FREEWAY WITH NO IMPACT OR PRIOR DAMAGE TO TIRE. 11/27/2004. TIRES PURCHASED 6/29/99 AS PAIR. ROTATED AND KEPT PROPERLY INFLATED, WHEELS ALIGNED. ON 4/25/03 A SCHWAB Z800 PLUS TIRE, WITH 47,000 MILES(100,000 WARRANTY), PURCHASED 2/20/98, SAME CONDITIONS OF TREATMENT, BLEW OUT ON SAME CAR UNDER SAME CIRCUMSTANCES, NAMELY DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEED ON FREEWAY. BOTH TIRES LEFT REAR WHEEL AT TIME OF BLOWOUT. SCHWAB REFUSED TO HONOR WARRANTY ON GROUNDS LACK OF DOCUMENTATION TIREST ROTATED EVERY 5000 MILES. NO EVIDENT CONCERN ABOUT SAFETY ISSUE.*AK

NHTSA ID
10100655
Incident
Nov 27, 2004
Mileage
196,640 mi
Airbags
Filed Aug 2, 2001

WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH DRIVER'S AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT A COLLISION OCCURRING, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK

NHTSA ID
893281
Transmission
Filed Jun 4, 1999
Crash reported

WHIILE REACHING INTO VEHICLE FOR A POCKET BOOK THE STRAP PULLED SHIFT LEVER INTO GEAR WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH NO KEY IN IT, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SLIP INTO GEAR AND ROLL DOWN HILL. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

NHTSA ID
838879
Other / unspecifiedSteering
Filed Sep 11, 1998

RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BECAME SEPARATED AT THE BALL JOINT AND THE TIE ROD BROKE OFF CAUSING WHEEL TO BECOME LOOSE. (OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT).

NHTSA ID
540876
Incident
Aug 17, 1998
Interior & seats
Filed Feb 17, 1998

THE POWER SEATS MOVE BACK AND FORWARD ON THEIR OWN. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

NHTSA ID
820635
Airbags
Filed Dec 4, 1996
1 injury reported

FALSE DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAG RESULTING IN INJURIES (BURNS) TO FACE AND CHEST AND DAMAGES TO VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID
512460
Incident
Oct 2, 1996
Airbags
Filed Nov 12, 1996
1 injury reported

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ON HIGHWAY WITHOUT IMPACT AIRBAG HAD DEPLOYED ALMOST CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. *AK *JB

NHTSA ID
804850
Incident
Oct 2, 1996
AirbagsEngineInterior & seats+3 more
Filed Aug 28, 1996
4 injuries reported

FALSE DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG, CAUSING INJURIES AFTER RECALL.

NHTSA ID
508048
Incident
Nov 22, 1995

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 .