Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1990 Mercedes-Benz 420, most frequently naming the other / unspecified and seat belts categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
Not enough dated records to plot a meaningful trend — 2 months of data.
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
1 campaign cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
NO TETHER ANCHORAGES ARE PRESENT ON THIS VEHICLE AND NO TETHER ANCHORAGES HAVE EVER BEEN PRESENT ON THIS VEHICLE. THE OWNER'S MANUAL AND MBNA SERVICE BULLETINS STATE THAT THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH TETHER ANCHORAGES FOR USE WITH CHILD RESTRAINTS THAT HAVE A TOP TETHER STRAP. TETHER ANCHORAGES ARE NEEDED TO PROPERLY ATTACH MY FORWARD-FACING CHILD RESTRAINT. MERCEDES-BENZ-USA AND MERCEDES-BENZ OF EUGENE, OR STATE THAT THIS VEHICLE DID NOT COME EQUIPPED WITH THE TETHER ANCHORAGES. WERE/ARE TETHER ANCHORAGES REQUIRED TO BE ATTACHED TO THIS VEHICLE FOR THIS VEHICLE TO BE SOLD IN THE USA AT TIME OF SALE PER FEDERAL STANDARDS AND/OR BECAUSE THE OWNER'S MANUAL AND SERVICE BULLETINS STATE THAT THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH TETHER ANCHORAGES? THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE. *NM
ON OCT. 20, 2005, I ASKED MERCEDES BENZ OF USA AND MERCEDES BENZ OF EUGENE(OR), TO SHOW/TELL ME SPECIFICALLY WHERE THE TETHER ANCHORS ARE IN MY 1990 420 SEL MERCEDES. ALSO,ON OCT. 21, 2005, I FILED A SIMILAR COMPLAINT, BY EMAIL, AT THIS SITE OF NHTSA. TO DATE, I HAVE RECEIVED NO RESPONSE FROM MBNA OF USA. ALSO, MB OF EUGENE HAS NOT, APPARENTLY, BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET OR ATTACH THE ANCHORS THAT ARE TO HAVE BEEN ALREADY INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE, ACCORDING TO THE "OWNER'S MANUAL". MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE ANCHORS WERE/ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS VEHICLE TO BE IMPORTED AND SOLD IN THE USA. APPARENTLY, THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN MBNA 91/4B PERTAINING TO THIS ISSUE. I NEED THE EVENFLO TRIUMPH SEAT TO BE PROPERLY INSTALLED FOR THE SAFETY OF MY GRANDDAUGHTER. PLEASE INFORM ME OF WHAT TO DO FOR THE SAFETY OF MY GRANDDAUGHTER. *JB
THE OWNER'S MANUAL FOR MY 1990 420 SEL, ON PAGE 46, STATES:"THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH TETHER ANCHORAGES FOR USE WITH CHILD RESTRAINTS THAT HAVE A TOP TETHER STRAP. CONSULT YOUR AUTHORIZED MERCEDES-BENZ DEALER FOR THE EXACT LOCATION OF THESE ANCHORAGES." AFTER REPEATED PHONE CALLS, EMAILS AND FAXES AND A VISIT TO THE DEALER, NEITHER THE EUGENE DEALER, MERCEDES BENZ OF EUGENE, OR THE MERCEDES-BENZ OF USA, HAVE BEEN ABLE TO TELL/SHOW ME THE EXACT LOCATION OF THE ANCHORAGES. ALSO, THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AT MERCEDES BENZ OF EUGENE AND THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE AT MERCEDES-BENZ OF USA TOLD ME THAT THE 1990 420 SEL DOES NOT HAVE THE ANCHORAGES. ON MY OWN RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED SERVICE BULLETIN # 91/4B THAT INDICATES INFORMATION ABOUT THE ANCHORAGES WHICH I REPORTED TO MERCEDES BENZ OF EUGENE. THE ANCHORAGES APPEAR TO NOT BE PRESENT ON MY 1990 420 SEL. I NEED THEM TO PROPERLY ATTACH AN EVENFLO TRIUMPH CAR SEAT. *JB
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
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.