2018 Mercedes-Benz AMG E43 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 2018 Mercedes-Benz AMG E43, 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
- Driver assistance228.6%
- Engine114.3%
- Exterior lighting114.3%
- Other / unspecified114.3%
- Powertrain (other)114.3%
- Steering114.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
The emergency applied braking system was applied while driving the 2018 Mercedes-Benz E43 AMG on a city street, with no other car or obstacle in the way of the car. Fortunately, there was no other vehicle behind us when this happened. I had the vehicle inspected by a certified mechanic who found no fault codes in the OBD system. He did update the system software of the car at that time.
WHEN DRIVING ON AN OPEN 2 LANE COUNTY ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 35-40 MPH THE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING ENGAGED AND FULLY STOPPED THE CAR FOR NO REASON. THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE ROAD, I DID NOT HAVE CRUISE CONTROL ON. THE VEHICLE JUST STOPPED AND BEEPED. THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS AROUND, SO THANKFULLY I WAS NOT REAR ENDED, BUT THERE WERE NO IMPEDIMENTS IN THE ROAD TO CAUSE A BRAKING EVENT.
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
On August 12, 2023, my husband pulled into the E43 into the garage with my two kids. When my son got out of the car, he noticed smoke coming out of the front of the car and notified my husband. He popped the hood and tried to put it out with the fire extinguisher but the smoke got overwhelming and he called 911. Fire department came and put out the fire. After the incident we did a search to see if there was a recall we missed but we only found an article published by Mercedes in December 2021 acknowledging their cars may catch on fire but no recall was done.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2018 Mercedes-Benz E43 AMG. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s side headlights intermittently inoperative. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.
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
I bought this 2018 e43 amg at 24k miles ,still under warranty ,and when I first told by dealer that there's a crack on my wheel I have to replace it ,I thought it was my driving even though I can't think of getting in a pothole whatsoever,so I shop around and found a random shop ,they showed me a picture of the exact same car of same year with the same problem on the same size 20in wheel ,crack on the oem wheels , I was thinking this is strange ,but I choose to trust the mb quality. Later on there's a noise coming from back seat ,I went to dealer and try to find out ,they did a good job found out they need to replace the whole rare end,and also found 2 wheels bent including the new wheel I just replaced,and another crack on one of the rare wheel which I think caused by the rare end issue ,and they did ,but the very second day I got my car back ,the noise is still there and getting worse ,Itried to contact the advisor to find out what's going on ,but he hangout on me and never call back ,I don't want to take any risk for them to say it's my driving that Hurst the rare end again which I drove really carefully,so I had to go back to dealer on the same day and have it quick checked ,the same advisor talked to me saying we replaced with the item that we ordered from mb directly and makes me feel like they are trying to blame me ,and using we don't have loaner car , it's gonna take a long time ,we are busy kind of excuses to make me go away but I insisted to have it checked,after 1 or 2 hours ,they told me they gonna order another rare end for me without telling me what's wrong ,but still let me drive it home . They noise and shaking is becoming worse only after 200 miles I was driving,so something wrong with the rare end of 2018 e43 amg and wheels too. With 1 whole rare end ,2 new wheels , still, problem not solved at all.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
For several years, the vehicle has had issues when shifting from drive to reverse or reverse to drive. I took to the dealer for repair and they claimed it was fixed. Because it is an intermittent issue, it was difficult to pinpoint when and if the issue would happen again. The vehicle is available for inspection and has been taken back to the dealer. On several occasions, since the car would not shift from drive to reverse or reverse to drive, I would have to turn off the vehicle and restart to reset. In some instances, I did not notice the car had not shifted and only after I accelerated and headed in the opposite direction. Car is at the dealer and requires a shifter module due to a steering column module error. Mercedes Benz of USA has been difficult to manage and the dealer has apparently made attempts to fix the car. That being said, I doubt that this is an isolated incident, as the E class was previously recalled for the same issue, but not this vehicle year. Power train: Automatic transmission: Control module (tcm, pcm) Recall date 2017-02-07 Recall no. 17V078000 Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC (MBUSA) is recalling certain 2017 E300 and E300 4Matic vehicles. The affected vehicles may have a damaged steering column-mounted shift lever module. If the internal circuit board is damaged, moving the shift lever will not select a transmission gear. Recall consequence If the vehicle does not move forward or backward as selected by the driver with the shift lever, there is an increased risk of a crash. Recall action MBUSA will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering column-mounted shift lever module, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at 1-800-367-6372.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
I bought this 2018 e43 amg at 24k miles ,still under warranty ,and when I first told by dealer that there's a crack on my wheel I have to replace it ,I thought it was my driving even though I can't think of getting in a pothole whatsoever,so I shop around and found a random shop ,they showed me a picture of the exact same car of same year with the same problem on the same size 20in wheel ,crack on the oem wheels , I was thinking this is strange ,but I choose to trust the mb quality. Later on there's a noise coming from back seat ,I went to dealer and try to find out ,they did a good job found out they need to replace the whole rare end,and also found 2 wheels bent including the new wheel I just replaced,and another crack on one of the rare wheel which I think caused by the rare end issue ,and they did ,but the very second day I got my car back ,the noise is still there and getting worse ,Itried to contact the advisor to find out what's going on ,but he hangout on me and never call back ,I don't want to take any risk for them to say it's my driving that Hurst the rare end again which I drove really carefully,so I had to go back to dealer on the same day and have it quick checked ,the same advisor talked to me saying we replaced with the item that we ordered from mb directly and makes me feel like they are trying to blame me ,and using we don't have loaner car , it's gonna take a long time ,we are busy kind of excuses to make me go away but I insisted to have it checked,after 1 or 2 hours ,they told me they gonna order another rare end for me without telling me what's wrong ,but still let me drive it home . They noise and shaking is becoming worse only after 200 miles I was driving,so something wrong with the rare end of 2018 e43 amg and wheels too. With 1 whole rare end ,2 new wheels , still, problem not solved at all.
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 .