RoadVitals

1989 Mercedes-Benz 300E

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.
11
Latest Mar 17, 2014
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.
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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.
1

Overview

Our database contains 11 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300E, most frequently naming the airbags, engine and driver assistance 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

  • Airbags428.6%
  • Engine321.4%
  • Driver assistance214.3%
  • Seat belts17.1%
  • Transmission17.1%
  • Visibility17.1%
  • Fuel system17.1%
  • Other / unspecified17.1%

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

View all 11
Engine
Filed Mar 17, 2014

CAR CUTS OFF AFTER A LONG DRIVE WHEN COASTING TO A STOP OR WHEN TURNING. WHEN ENGINE CUTS OFF POWER STEERING NO LONGER FUNCTIONS (VERY UPSETTING WHILE TURNING WHICH IS USUALLY WHEN IT CUTS OFF). HAVE TAKEN IT TO PRIVATE SHOP AND MERCEDES DEALER BUT NOTHING RESOLVED THE ISSUE. CAR IS DRIVEN RARELY NOW DUE TO THIS ISSUE AND ISSUE IS STILL ACTIVE IN CAR. I HAVE FIVE RECEIPTS FROM PRIVATE AUTO REPAIR SHOP AND MERCEDES BENZ DEALER DOCUMENTING EACH TIME CAR WAS TAKEN FOR THIS ISSUE DATING BACK TO 2003. *TR

NHTSA ID
10572854
Incident
Sep 2, 2003
Mileage
145,856 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Mar 31, 2009

SUDDEN ACCELERATION . A 1989 MERCEDES BENZ 300E WITH AROUND 158,900 MILES. SINCE THE PAST 6 WEEKS HAS BEEN EXHIBITING THE APPARENTLY HARD TO PROOF CASE OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS WHILE DRIVING TO WORK ON HIGHWAY 101. THERE WAS A CONSTRUCTION GOING ON SO THE TRAVELING SPEED ON THAT STRETCH OF THE HIGHWAY WAS REDUCED TO AROUND 50MPH. AFTER DRIVING FOR SOME MINUTES WITH MY SPEED AROUND 50MPH, THE CAR SUDDENLY SURGED WITH THE SPEEDOMETER RISING. I WASN'T IN ANYWAY ACCELERATING. I WAS MAINTAINING MY CURRENT SPEED, THE SUDDEN SURGED MADE ME REMOVED MY LEG COMPLETELY FROM THE PEDAL. WITH THE SPEEDOMETER STILL RISING I DROVE THE NEXT FOUR/ FIVE MILES WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO STEERED THE CAR TO SIDE LANE AND PUTTING THE CAR IN NEUTRAL.I HAVE HAD 4 SUBSEQUENT OCCURRENCES SINCE THEN. IT NOW HAPPENS LIKE TWICE EVERY WEEK. I HAD A MECHANIC DISENGAGED THE CRUISE CONTROL THINKING THAT WAS THE FAULT.THE LAST OCCURRENCE WAS TODAY. DRIVING OUT OF MY HOUSE WITH LESS THAN 30MPH. THE CAR SURGED AGAIN,I MANEUVERED THE CAR TO THE ROAD SIDE CHANGED THE GEAR TO PARKING. THIS TIME THE REF WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE RED ZONE WITH THE CAR IN PARKING GEAR.I CONTACTED MERCEDES BENZ ABOUT IT ,BUT AS USUAL NOBODY LISTENS TO COMMON PEOPLE .ANYWAYS TODAY I BOUGHT A HANDY VIDEO RECORDER TO BE IN MY CAR ,MAYBE WITH EVIDENCE THE UNSOLVED ISSUE OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION CAN FINALLY BE ADDRESSED AND CLASSIFIED AS BEEN REAL AND NO MORE A BOGUS MAKE UP STORY. .A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY DRIVING EXPERIENCE , I DRIVE TAXI CAB IN SAN FRANCISCO AND IN TOTAL HAVE 20YEARS OF DRIVING CARS WITH A CLEAN RECORD. THANKS *TR

NHTSA ID
10263812
Incident
Mar 31, 2009
Mileage
158,900 mi
Engine
Filed Dec 21, 2004

VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY STALLED WHILE DRIVING DOWN AN INCLINE OR SLOWING DOWN TO A STOP POSITION. VEHICLE HAD BEEN TO THE REPAIR SHOP ON FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, AND AT THE DEALER ONCE, HOWEVER, AND NEITHER OF THEM COULD RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM.*AK WHEN TURNING ON THE HEADLIGHTS THE SRS AND ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATE. THE TACHOMETER PERFORMED ERRATICALLY. THE ALTERNATOR ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE NOISE WAS CAUSED BY A BOLT IN THE WATER PUMP WHICH WAS TOO LONG AND HIT AGAINST THE PUMP. *NM

NHTSA ID
10101215
Incident
Jan 1, 1996
Other / unspecified
Filed Sep 23, 2003

PASSENGER FRONT WHEEL CAME OFF OF VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING. *MR (OHIO TRAFFIC REPORT) THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *SCC *JB

NHTSA ID
10042069
Incident
May 16, 2003
Driver assistance
Filed Jan 18, 2002

CRUISE CONTROL DISENGAGES BY ITSELF WITHOUT DRIVER ASSISTANCE ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS. DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID
8002498
Incident
Jan 1, 2002
Airbags
Filed Mar 8, 2001

UNTIL I READ ABOUT OTHERS WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT, I ASSUMED THIS WAS NORMAL. I HAVE TALKED TO THE DEALER ABOUT IT, AND WAS TOLD I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OVER $2500 TO REPAIR/REPLACE THE AIRBAG. THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY -- I INTENDED FOR THE DATE SHOWN TO INDICATE WHEN THE DASHBOARD LIGHT FIRST CAME ON.*AK

NHTSA ID
742102
Incident
May 1, 1995
Airbags
Filed Oct 7, 1999

WHILE SITTING AT A STOP AIR BAG ON THE DRIVER'S DEPLOYED FOR NO APPARENT REASON. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHP WHERE THE AIR BAG WAS REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

NHTSA ID
850227
Incident
Sep 10, 1999
AirbagsSeat belts
Filed Apr 22, 1999

THE DASH INDICATOR RESTRAINT SYSTEM LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON, INDICATING A MALFUNCTION. DEALER SAYS SEAT BELTS AND AIR BAG UNIT ARE DEFECTIVE. THE CONTROL UNIT WAS REPLACED AT 1350 PLUS LABOR. PLEASE ADD VIN#. *AK

NHTSA ID
836990
Incident
Mar 28, 1999

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Mercedes-Benz 300E by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1993800—
1991700—
1990300—
1989Viewing110035.3
1986110151.6

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.