RoadVitals

1987 Mercedes-Benz 420

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.
3
Latest Aug 5, 1999
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.
0
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.
1
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 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1987 Mercedes-Benz 420, most frequently naming the engine and brakes categories. 1 NHTSA investigation names it.

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

  • Engine266.7%
  • Brakes133.3%

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.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

EA88034ClosedEngineering Analysis

SUDDEN ACCELERATION

Opened Jul 15, 1988
Closed Jul 31, 1990

THE CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY PETITIONED NHTSA TO OPEN AN INVESTIGATION INTOSUDDEN ACCELERATION ON VARIOUS MERCEDES-BENZ MODELS.THE PETITION WASGRANTED WITH RESPECT TO THE 1986-1987 300E MODEL AND ENGINEERING ANALYSISEA88-003 WAS OPENED COVERING JUST THE 1986 AND 1987 300 E VEHICLES.SUBSEQUENTLY, CFAS REPETITIONED NHTSA TO EXPAND ITS INVESTIGATION TO COVERALL 1984 THROUGH 1987 MERCEDES GASOLINE POWERED VEHICLES.DEFECT PETITIONNUMBER DP88-013 WAS THEN ASSIGNED.ON JULY 14, 1988, THE CFAS WAS ADVISEDTHAT PETITION DP88-013 HAD BEEN GRANTED AND THAT A NEW ENGINEERING ANALYSIS(EA88-034) HAD BEEN OPENED.THE PRECEDING PETITIONS AND THE ENGINEERING ANALYSIS HAVE BEEN MERGED INTOEA88-034.===

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Engine
Filed Aug 5, 1999

DRIVING THROUGH DOWNTWN AT 5 MPH, CAR WAS FILLED WITH STEAM BECAUSETHE HOSE BROKE.CONSUMER NOTIFIED DEALER AND MANUFACTUR. *AK

NHTSA ID
844407
Incident
Jul 28, 1999
Engine
Filed Jul 20, 1999

DUE TO DEFECTIVE DESIGN OF THE RADIATOR, IT CRACKED AND CAUSED WATER TO LEAK. THIS MAY HAVE CAUSED THE ENGINE TO LOCK UP. COMMON PROBLEM. MERCEDES BENZ CAME WITH A NEW DESIGN OF RADIATOR, AND CLAIMS THAT THERE WAS NOT A DEFECT IN THE OLD ONE. *AK *ML

NHTSA ID
842651
Incident
Jun 30, 1999
Brakes
Filed Apr 10, 1995
Crash reported

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING TRYING TO TURN A CURB THE ABS ANTI-LOCK BRAKE FAIL LOST CONTROL WAS IN A SINGLE CAR ACCIDENT CAR WAS TOTALED. TT

NHTSA ID
963593
Incident
Dec 13, 1994

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Mercedes-Benz 420 by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1999500—
1997220036.0
1996100—
1995150040.2
1994160037.2
1991400—
1990310—
1989200—
1988101—
1987Viewing301—
1986601—
1985001—
1984001—

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.