ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG E53
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 5 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Mercedes-Benz AMG E53, most frequently naming the driver assistance, electrical and engine categories. 15 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 199 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 2020 | 1 | 1 |
| Sep 2021 | 1 | 2 |
| May 2022 | 1 | 3 |
| Dec 2022 | 1 | 4 |
| Jul 2023 | 1 | 5 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Driver assistance342.9%
- Electrical114.3%
- Engine114.3%
- Powertrain (other)114.3%
- Seat belts114.3%
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
15 campaigns 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.govELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
Was driving the car when it gave me a -48v malfunction. This was quickly followed by an overheat warning to turn the car off. It appears to be an issue with the -48v battery. Still waiting to hear what root cause is as MBUSA has had the car for 24 days and counting without many answers.
- NHTSA ID
- 11534064
- Incident
- Jun 30, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Automatic Emergency Braking / Selt Belt Pretensioner. Car can be inspected at dealer during a scheduled service if needed. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I was driving on a local road (paved, no painted road markings, some small cracks/pot holes but all minor) that I frequently drive without issue. This time as I was coming out of a minor left-hand curve and about 30 meters from a slightly sharper right hand turn the Automatic Emergency Braking warning light activated, as well as the warning alarm, and the Seal Belt Pretensioner engaged and yanked me (driving) back (as it would if the vehicle was preparing for a collision. However, the vehicle never activated the brakes to slow the vehicle and the warning light and alarm deactivated and the seat belt released the tension. There were no vehicles coming from the other direction, no animals or pedestrians in sight. There is a utility pole located about 2-3ft off the right side of the road near this area. I've now had this occur two more times (three total) in the same location driving in the same direction. Twice I was the only occupant, and once there were two occupants, one in the driver's seat and one in the passenger seat (the Seat Belt Pretensioner activated for both occupants). Safety Issue: Automatic Emergency Braking System activating unexpectedly and unnecessarily. When Automatic Emergency Braking System is activated the Seat Belt Pretensioner activates and forcefully restrains the occupant (as I assume it should the vehicle expects a collision or harsh braking). This is very surprising and distracting for the driver (and in one instance also a passenger, who afterwards said they remarked they felt like it almost gave them a heart attack). This can lead to an accident given the unexpectedness. Additionally, the brakes never engaged or slowed the vehicle in any of the three instances.
- NHTSA ID
- 11497646
- Incident
- Jun 2, 2022
The doors are very Heavy and it is difficult to get it to stay open. Additionally if the car is on a slight uphill and the door is fully open, the door tends to start closing and is not held in place-it becomes very dangerous if you are stating to get out of the car.The door is so heavy that a leg can get caught and broken I have advise Mercedes of this problem but they tell me that the tension is not adjustable It is very dangerous getting both in and out even wee on a flat surface and much more dangerous on the slighted of inclines
- NHTSA ID
- 11462896
- Incident
- Apr 1, 2022
Car displays blank screen when transmission is placed in reverse with the words in RED: "System Inoperative".
- NHTSA ID
- 11431562
- Incident
- Sep 2, 2021
WHILE GOING 45 MPH ON A CLEAR FOUR LANE SMOOTH BLACKTOP CITY STREET THE CAR CAME TO A COMPLETE EMERGENCY STOP. A RED TRIANGLE APPEARED ON THE DASH BUT BECAUSE OF THE STARTLING NATURE I COULD NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHERE. THERE WAS NO APPARENT REASON FOR THIS EMERGENCY STOP, THIS STREET WAS FAMILIAR AND HAD BEEN DRIVEN DAILY FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED ON THE FREEWAY AT FREEWAY SPEEDS THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A DISASTER.
- NHTSA ID
- 11373428
- Incident
- Nov 4, 2020
- Mileage
- 90 mi
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
STEERING
Complaint During part of the steering movement, it feels heavier or more difficult to steer in the same spot every time. OR Rattling, humming, dry sliding/gravel noise from the electric steering system when steering (see attachment). Complaint does not impact the ability to safely steer or control the vehicle. Cause Ball screw drive (KGT) of electric steering damaged by: 1. External force due to: ‑ Hitting the curb/posts with the front wheels. ‑ Driving over obstacles (e.g. pothole/ threshold/ speed bump/ gully) at an inappropriate speed. 2. Corrosion/ water ingress through a damaged boot (see attachment). ‑ Cracks (1) ‑ High pressure cleaner (2) ‑ Animal bite (3) See various examples listed in the attachments for examples of outside influence. Remedy Remove boot clamps closest to steering gear housing on both left and right (as seen in "Steering Rack Boot Clamp Location"). Pull back boot and inspect for rust, broken end stops, water, or any other anomalies. Replace electric steering. Note: Steering gears replaced due to outside influence or damage must not be claimed under warranty!
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; STRUCTURE:BODY
Complaint Tailgate opens unintentionally. Cause Accidental or unnoticed activation of the button to open the tailgate on the vehicle key. EXAMPLE: when stored in trouser pocket, handbag etc. Remedy As of the 6th generation, the vehicle key can be recoded so that the tailgate no longer opens as a result of a long press on the button, but by double‑clicking on the button instead. This reduces the likelihood of the button being activated accidentally or unintentionally. The recoding can be carried out as follows: 1. Add SA Code O19 into VeDoc (O for Oscar, not "zero") • an XSS ticket may be necessary to add the SA code 2. Perform SCN coding of EIS N73 control unit 3. Deactivate the vehicle key (a successful deactivation is indicated by the LED lighting up 2x briefly and then 1x for a long period). 4. Place the vehicle key in the storage compartment on the key symbol and turn on the ignition. IMPORTANT: all other vehicle keys must be outside the recognition range of the vehicle when doing this! Perform steps 3 and 4 successively for all vehicle keys. Notes: 6th, 7th and 8th generation keys can be deactivated as follows: Up to modification year 22/1 by double clicking the "Lock button" As of modification year 22/1, by press and holding the “Lock button", then double‑click the “Unlock button" at the same time. On model series 167, the storage compartment with the key symbol is located in the armrest. The SCN coding from the EZS is only transferred correctly to the vehicle key under the following conditions: Only one vehicle key is located in the vehicle, this key has been deactivated and it is positioned on the marking in the storage compartment for the data transfer. The costs for this adaptation are to be borne by the customer. For the newer BR 174, 178, 244, 248, 520, and 540, a software update must be initiated, as there is no way to perform SCN coding.
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Dear Mercedes-Benz Owner: In our continuing efforts to ensure the proper performance of Mercedes-Benz products and to enhance the satisfaction of our customers, Mercedes-Benz USA is extending the warranty coverage for the Diagnostic Module for Tank Leakage Detection ("DMTL") on your vehicle from the original New Vehicle Limited Warranty of 4 years / 50,000 miles to 15 years/150,000 miles (whichever occurs first). This applies to the vehicle regardless of ownership. Why the Warranty extension? On certain Model Year 2018 - 2024 A / C / CLA / CLS / E / G / GLA / GLB / GLC / GLE / GLS / GT / S / SL Mercedes-Benz vehicles, under certain circumstances, the DMTL may trigger erroneous Diagnostic Trouble Code ("DTC") entries that may result in the illumination of the Check Engine Malfunction Indicator Lamp ("MIL"). Any repairs under this warranty extension must be performed by an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership. • If your preferred authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership performs a diagnosis and confirms that your vehicle has the issue, the repair will be covered under this extended warranty and performed at no cost to you. • This extended warranty does not apply to any other components or conditions beyond the ones mentioned above, and standard warranty terms apply, including the exclusions with respect to extra expenses, as identified in the Service and Warranty Information booklet.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Complaint A popup is seen on the HU with the message "data connection temporarily not available". Potentially affected functionalities in NTG4.5, NTG5 1.Weather 2.Local Search 3.IP Radio 4.Send2Car 5.Speech Detection Service 6.Navigation 7.iHeartRadio 8.Traffic Cams Cause MB Apps is sundowned for all vehicles with NTG4.5 and NTG5 Head Unit Variant. Remedy No support available for NTG4.5 and NTG5 Head Unit Variants for MB App related topics. Note: Please do not create TIPS. Please do not replace any components. HU/Hermes SW update / SCN coding will not fix the issue.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Complaint Clanking noise from the area of the speakers in the doors. Cause Under analysis. Remedy To narrow down the cause, first of all remove the door trim. • If the noise continues to occur even with the door trim removed, then continue the diagnosis working towards the speaker and if necessary, create a TIPS case with an informative video as an attachment. Information: Please refer to this document in the warranty claim and, after completing diagnosis, select the damage code corresponding to the component part that caused the problem. • If the noise stops when the door trim is removed, please proceed in accordance with LI72.10-P-067691. Information: In this case, do not use a damage code for the speakers in the warranty claim!
POWER TRAIN
Complaint This document is intended as a pre-case diagnostic reference for transmission related concerns. It will also ensure that if a case is necessary, all supporting documentation is available. This should not be used on its own as justification for creating a TIPS case. Cause The root cause will vary depending on the complaint. The goal of this document is to provide diagnostic checks and procedures that may help resolve customer complaints without opening a TIPS case. Remedy Before opening a transmission-related TIPS case, the following steps must be performed to ensure all relevant data has been collected and possible remedies (when applicable) have been performed. Please Note: At minimum, the documents below must be collected before proceeding to ensure the data in its original state when the vehicle arrived is captured. - Initial Quick Test w/ Freeze frame data - VGS Control Unit Log - Initial EEPROM data (.txt format) - IPR Result (if applicable. See LI27.00-P-073124 - Transmission diagnosis using the Intelligent Predictive Repair (IPR) tool) - Transmission Heath Page If the vehicle has previously been repaired for the same concern, note the date, mileage, and TIPS case or RO number, along with a brief description of the prior work performed. IPR Guidance: The IPR recommended repair should be completed prior to following any steps in this LI and prior to case creation. IPR repairs do not require additional warranty approvals or a TIPS case to validate/confirm the results. To ensure efficient case handling, please avoid opening TIPS cases for this reason. For further information regarding IPR please see the following documents: LI27.00-P-073124 - Transmission diagnosis using the Intelligent Predictive Repair (IPR) tool Oil Pan Condition Evaluation: In some situations, IPR will advise checking the oil pan condition and determining a repair based on the evaluation. Example photos in Xentry can be found in two ways: • Use the blue hyperlink in the IPR result, and it will take you to the Condition check of transmission oil • Navigate to Xentry Bluebook > Help for control unit > Condition check of transmission oil If a different repair that what is recommended by IPR is performed, attaching photo documentation of the complaint vehicle oil pan and the IPR example to the claim is required. Reproducing the Concern: Proper evaluation of transmission concerns generally requires the condition to be reproducible. It is recommended to compare the vehicle to a similar model, if available, to help determine whether the shift behavior is characteristic of the drivetrain or uncharacteristic for the vehicle. If the concern cannot be duplicated: • A test drive with the customer may assist in understanding and reproducing the complaint. • The vehicle shift quality should be compared to a known-good vehicle with identical drivetrain and model year. • Check Shift Quality History (VGS Control Unit > Adaptations > Shift Quality History) Shift Quality History will show the last 5 noticeable harsh shifts and some of the parameters in which it occurred. You can use this to attempt recreation of the operating conditions and increase likelihood of reproducing the complaint. Complaint A: Shift Quality Note: Certain AMG variants may exhibit more firm and noticeable shift behavior as a normal characteristic. Refer to LI27.60‑P‑075147 for additional information. 1. Perform Valve flushing procedure 2. Perform 5 Torque Converter adaptions in a row - Allow the vehicle to warm up naturally, DO NOT power brake as it will increase the temperature in the torque converter. - After the 5th adaptation, collect a screen shot showing all 5 on one page 3. Perform a standstill adaption - collect a screen shot Recheck vehicle operation. If the concern has not improved, driving adaptations should be performed to target specific gear shifts.
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
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.