1989 Mercedes-Benz 300E 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 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300E, 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
- 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.
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
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
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
CRUISE CONTROL DISENGAGES BY ITSELF WITHOUT DRIVER ASSISTANCE ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS. DEALER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
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
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
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
VEHICLE SLIPS OUT OF GEAR ON AN FLAT PLANTFORM, WHEN THIS OCCURS THE VEHICLE ROLLS BACKWARD. OWNER HAS HEARD THE VEHICLE SLIP OUT OF GEAR MANY TIMES. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND THEY DID MINOR WORK. ALSO THEY TOLD HER TO PUT ON HER EMERGENCY BRAKES. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
SUNROOF SQUEAKS.
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.
From owner reports, verbatim
VEHICLE FIRE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
PASSENGER FRONT WHEEL CAME OFF OF VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING. *MR (OHIO TRAFFIC REPORT) THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *SCC *JB
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 .