2017 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Powertrain (other) Problems

There is a recall on my year model 2017 Mercedes E3 hundred 4matic for the steering column shift module, but I’m being told that my specific vin was not included, but it is having the exact issues as the recall while driving the shift lever will not leave drive to go into reverse. It will only go to park. It refuses shift commands. If I shut the engine off and turn it back on sometimes it will allow me to go into other gears again.

NHTSA ID

11735276

Incident

Feb 11, 2026

The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The message "Reverse not Possible - Service Required" was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact waited for approximately five to ten minutes, and the vehicle restarted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the electronic shift lever had failed. The vehicle was repaired. The contact picked up the vehicle from the dealer, and two days later, the same message was displayed. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle stalled. The message "Reverse not Possible - Service Required” was displayed. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road, and the contact waited before restarting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the Transmission Control Module (TCM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.

NHTSA ID

11714019

Incident

Dec 28, 2025

Mileage

144,000 mi

The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle hesitated before shifting to a higher gear. The contact stated that the transmission was also slipping out of gear, and the vehicle shifted into LIMP Mode. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the transmission was not shifting above second gear. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission control module (TCM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V078000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11660928

Incident

May 2, 2025

Mileage

100,000 mi

Mercedes-Benz E300 is affected by a Transmission Control Module (TCM) recall, you might notice these symptoms: - Delayed or rough shifting: The transmission may hesitate or struggle to change gears. - Slipping gears: The car might unexpectedly shift out of gear or fail to stay in the correct gear. - Unresponsive transmission: You may experience difficulty accelerating or feel like the car is stuck in a lower gear. - Warning lights: The check engine or transmission warning light may illuminate on the dashboard. - Limp mode activation: The vehicle may enter a fail-safe mode, restricting speed and performance to prevent further damage.

NHTSA ID

11660892

Incident

Apr 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the gear shifter failed to shift into the drive as intended. In addition, the contact stated that when the gear shifter was shifted into drive after several attempts, the gear shifter shifted to drive three instead of drive one. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a transmission control module and a shift-level module failure. The contact was informed that the transmission control module and shift level module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that when the failure had started, the transmission slipped, and the gear shifter independently shifted into neutral. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.

NHTSA ID

11646680

Incident

Feb 6, 2025

Mileage

43,000 mi

Crankcase ventilation system has failed. Spending $1700 because Mercedes won’t fix it because it’s a known issue and requires a lot of work. They left my car sitting in their parking lot for a week. I have the screen shots to prove it.

NHTSA ID

11641643

Incident

Feb 10, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300. The contact stated that while coming to a stop at red traffic lights or stop signs, on several occasions the gear shifter inadvertently shifted into neutral(N). Additionally, on several occasions when the gear shift lever was shifted in gear, the gear shifter unintendedly shifted into neutral(N). The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V078000 (Power Train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

NHTSA ID

11629008

Incident

Nov 3, 2024

Mileage

92,000 mi

The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle downshifted inadvertently. The contact stated that the vehicle was jerking while shifting from neutral to park. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was confirmed, that the vehicle was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall; however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 130,981.

NHTSA ID

11605383

Incident

Jun 30, 2024

Mileage

130,981 mi

The car is running poorly. Smell of fumes inside the car. Not drive able due to risk of engine damage including fires and exposure to dangerous fumes. Part is on back order and that is not a guarantee that the part will not fail again after fixed. Many people report continual replacement of the part. Positive Crankcase Ventilation Regulator Valve Performance: The valve for crankcase ventilation has a malfunction. Crankcase ventilation actuator is blocked .

NHTSA ID

11590732

Incident

May 1, 2024

The car lurches forward upon accelerating. Other times the car lags when accelerating after slowing for a dip or speed bump. This has caused me to almost be hit from behind on multiple occasions. My car has been in the shop multiple times since I bought it.

NHTSA ID

11524269

Incident

May 20, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced jerking and hesitation and erroneously switched from the automatic transmission to the manual transmission position, without the transmission selector being switched. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not yet notified of failure. The failure mileage was 50,000.

NHTSA ID

11490306

Incident

Oct 1, 2022

Mileage

50,000 mi

The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse to another gear, the gear shifter seized. The contact stated that after turning off and restarting the vehicle several times the gear shifter operated as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact drove the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V078000 (Power Train). The contact was advised by the mechanic to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

NHTSA ID

11465058

Incident

Mar 6, 2022

Mileage

74,000 mi

The contact owns a 2017 Mercedes-Benz E300. The contact stated while attempting to move the gear shifter from neutral to reverse or to drive, the gear shifter failed to move. The gear shifter returned to the neutral position. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the power train control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted and the contact was informed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V078000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.

NHTSA ID

11418800

Incident

May 25, 2021

Mileage

97,000 mi

ON SEPT. 10, 2020 WHILE DRIVING ON THE WESTBOUND LONG ISLAND EXPRESSWAY, NEAR EXIT 19,IN AN AFTERNOON RAINSTORM, MY 3 YEAR OLD MB E300 WAS FLOODED THROUGH THE REAR VIEW MIRROR MOUNT AND THE COLUMN ON THE DRIVERS' SIDE, SEPARATING THE WINDSHIELD AND DOOR. WATER CASCADED FROM THESE AREAS AND FLOODED THE FLOOR. ALL ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS ON THE FLOOR, UNDER THE FRONT SEATS, WERE SHORTED OUT. THIS BROUGHT THE CAR TO A COMPLETE AND SUDDEN STANDSTILL IN TRAFFIC ON THE HIGHWAY. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT DRIVE OR MOVE, POTENTIALLY PUTTING MY LIFE IN JEOPARDY. THE SHIFT LEVER WOULD NOT PUT THE CAR INTO DRIVE, REVERSE OR NEUTRAL. THE CAR NEEDED A TOW ON A DOLLY OFF THE HIGHWAY AND IT CONTINUED TO RUN FOR HOURS. THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD NOT TURN OFF AND THE WINDOWS COULD NOT BE SHUT. JUST ABOUT EVERY WARNING LIGHT IN EXISTENCE WAS ON IN THE DASHBOARD. THE ENGINE WAS FINALLY SHUT DOWN, AFTER OVER 4 HOURS, WHEN THE CAR ARRIVED AT RALLYE MERCEDES BENZ IN ROSLYN, NY. THIS SUDDEN STOP, IN A RUNNING CAR, ON A LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY COULD OF BEEN DEADLY. THE CAR HAD RECENTLY BEEN SERVICED AT RALLYE MOTORS.

NHTSA ID

11360007

Incident

Sep 10, 2020

Mileage

64,000 mi

WHEN APPLYING GAS AFTER BRAKING, THE CAR HAS AN INTERMITTENT STUTTER. THE CAR WAS RECALLED FOR A TRANSMISSION ISSUE AND AFTER THE RECALL WAS PERFORMED, THE PROBLEM APPEARED. LOCAL DEALER CALLS IT NORMAL

NHTSA ID

11231952

Incident

Jul 1, 2019

Mileage

20 mi