Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 16 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1995 Mercedes-Benz C280, most frequently naming the electrical, engine and airbags categories. 6 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.
When owners filed reports about this model year
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 2012 | 1 | 1 |
| Dec 2012 | 1 | 2 |
| Feb 2013 | 2 | 4 |
| Jun 2013 | 1 | 5 |
| Aug 2013 | 1 | 6 |
| Apr 2014 | 1 | 7 |
| Jun 2014 | 1 | 8 |
| Jul 2014 | 3 | 11 |
| Feb 2015 | 2 | 13 |
| May 2017 | 2 | 15 |
| Sep 2020 | 1 | 16 |
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.
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.
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
MERCEDES WITH FULL KNOWLEDGE INSTALLED DISINTEGRATING WIRING INSULATION IN MANY CARS KNOWING FULL WELL THE INSULATION WOULD FAIL RENDERING ANY AND ALL CARS UNRELIABLE DANGEROUS AND ULTIMATELY USELESS
CAR STALLED ON HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 50 MILES PER HOUR. NOT A GOOD EXPERIENCE. IT TOO ABOUT TEN MINUTES TO START.
VEHICLE STALL WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY . IT TOOK TEN MINUTES TO START. NOT A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE. VERY DANGEROUS.
THE CAR WAS BARELY USED IN ABOUT 2 YEARS. BEFORE IT HAD NEVER HAD A PROBLEM, NOW IT CAN'T BE TAKEN TO EMISSIONS BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS BECAUSE THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS WAS DETERIORATING. THROUGH INTERNET RESEARCH, I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT MERCEDES-BENZ KNOWS ABOUT THIS COMMON PROBLEM VERY WELL EVEN THOUGH THEY BLATANTLY DISREGARD THEIR CUSTOMERS' SAFETY, CLAIMING THEY HAVE NO SUCH KNOWLEDGE AND REQUIRING CUSTOMERS TO PAY FOR IT THEMSELVES OR CONTINUE DRIVING AN UNSAFE VEHICLE. THERE IS NO REASON OTHER THAN IRRESPONSIBLE GREED THAT MERCEDES-BENZ IGNORES THIS PROBLEM, AND THIS PUTS UNKNOWING CONSUMERS AT SERIOUS RISK. I AM APPALLED THAT MERCEDES-BENZ HAS NOT OWNED UP TO THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES AND I WOULD BE VERY HAPPY TO SEE ACTION TAKEN TO FORCE MERCEDES-BENZ TO ACTUALLY VALUE PROTECTING THEIR CUSTOMERS' SAFETY ABOVE KEEPING THEIR POCKETS LINED WITH MONEY. *TR
I RECENTLY BOUGHT THIS USED 1995 C280 MERCEDES BENZ,ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER I BOUGHT IT -ELECTRICAL SYSTEM STARTED MALFUNCTIONING,GAUGES GO ON AND OFF CONTINUOUSLY, CAR REFUSED TO START -THEN STARTS AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED.WINDOWS WORK-AND THEN THEY DON'T. OBDII SYSTEM READS DIFFERENT CODES-OBVIOUSLY UNRELIABLE. AFTER HAVING A MECHANIC LOOK AT IT -HE STATED THAT WIRING HARNESS IS FAILING. AFTER COMING HERE TO LOOK FOR RECALLS-I SEE THAT OVER 90% COMPLAINTS ON THIS CAR ARE FOR A DEFECTIVE WIRING HARNESS-A FACT THAT MERCEDES BENZ SHOULD BE WELL AWARE OF BY NOW. THIS COULD CREATE A FIRE HAZARD AND SERIOUS DRIVING HAZARD. WHY HAVEN'T THEY DEALT WITH THIS POSSIBLY DISASTROUS DEFECT? I'M TOTALLY DISAPPOINTED THAT A CAR COMPANY THAT STRESSES SAFETY,AND DEPENDABILITY PUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN THE MARKET AND HASN'T MADE ANY ATTEMPT TO HELP OUT THE OWNERS OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DEFECTIVE CARS THEY PRODUCED. ANOTHER MYTH FALLS BY THE WAYSIDE-MERCEDES BENZ UBER ALLES? WHAT A BAD JOKE-PEOPLE THAT OWN CHEAP NISSANS GET 200,000 MILES-A HIGH DOLLAR LEMON? SHAME ON YOU MERCEDES BENZ-BTW IF YOU GO TO MERCEDES RECALL PAGE,THEY DON'T EVEN MENTION THIS PROBLEM..HAS MERCEDES DROPPED THEIR STANDARDS TO SCREWING THEIR CUSTOMERS? APPARENTLY SO-.ANOTHER LEGEND TURNS OUT TO BE NOTHING MORE THAN A LIE. *TR
CAR STARTED RUNNING FUNNY. HAD IT LOOKED AT AND THE WIRING HARNESS WAS FOUND TO BE BRITTLE AND FALLING APART. CAR CANNOT BE DRIVEN UNTIL A NEW HARNESS IS INSTALLED. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 MERCEDES BENZ C280. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A LOUD NOISE FOLLOWED BY THE DEPLOYMENT OF BOTH FRONTAL AIR BAGS. THE WINDSHIELD WAS SMASHED AND THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED A BRUISED ARM DUE TO THE IMPACT. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 178,000.
SEVERAL INTERMITTENT ISSUES RECENTLY BEGAN TO OCCUR WITH MY C280. INSTRUMENT PANEL STARTED TO INTERMITTENTLY NOT WORK AND AS A RESULT I RAN OUT OF GAS IN SEVERAL OCCASIONS IN AREAS WHERE MY PERSONAL SAFETY WAS AT QUESTION. CAR ALSO BEGAN TO INTERMITTENTLY CEASE FROM STARTING LEAVING ME STRANDED UNTIL THE CAR WAS ABLE TO START. AFTER AN INVESTIGATION BY A CERTIFIED MERCEDES MECHANIC, THEY HAD DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE WIRE HARNESS WAS DEFECTIVE AND THAT THE WIRING INSULATION WAS SERIOUSLY DEGRADING. DURING THE EVALUATION THE WIRING WAS STARTING TO SMOKE AND SYSTEM SHUT DOWN DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS. IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT CONTINUED OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE COULD HAVE CAUSED SAFETY ISSUES TO DRIVER, PASSENGERS AND OTHERS AS UNPREDICTABLE AND SERIOUS ACTIONS COULD HAVE RESULTED FROM ENGINE WIRE HARNESS ELECTRICAL SHORTS. I AM VERY SURPRISED AND DISAPPOINTED THAT MERCEDES BENZ HAD NOT PROVIDED ANY WARNING OR RECALL FOR THIS CONDITION, WHICH THEY APPARENTLY ALREADY KNEW IS A COMMON DEFECT FOR THIS MODEL AND YEAR. *TR
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
NTG5.5: Incorrect time shown on instrument cluster, COMAND display, and analog clock
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL:AUTOMATIC (ASC); SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
If the customer brakes sharply from a speed of > 30mph, without ABS intervention, there is a single cracking noise from the area of the ESP hydraulic unit
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY; SUSPENSION
Throttle lift-off clunking noises at drive shafts of front axle
SEAT BELTS
Seat belt extender toothed rack sluggish or makes noises
SUSPENSION:FRONT; SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT; SUSPENSION:REAR:SHOCK ABSORBER
Clunking noise from front axle suspension strut or rear axle shock absorber on short strokes of the damper
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The COMAND unit does not start or the COMAND display remains dark. The COMAND unit cannot be operated. Note: The problem disappears after a lengthy idle period (>6h) or after interrupting the power supply (circuit 30).
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.
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.