Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 2 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2004 Mercedes-Benz E, most frequently naming the fuel system category. 3 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
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.
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
AFTER FUELING UP COMPLETELY, THERE WAS A STRONG RAW GASOLINE SMELL IN MY GARAGE. IT WAS COMING FROM THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE WHEEL WELL. THIS IS THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF WHERE THE FUEL FILL CAP IS! THERE WERE NO VISIBLE PUDDLES ON MY FLOOR, BUT IT SMELLED AS IF THERE SHOULD BE. THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY FOR A LITTLE BIT, HOWEVER, IT DOES THIS NOW EVERY TIME I FILL UP THE CAR AND IT IS HOT OUTSIDE. *TR
I CURRENTLY DRIVE A 2004 MERCEDES E500 4MATIC WITH 78,000 MILES CURRENTLY ON IT. RECENTLY, AFTER REFUELING THE CAR I HAVE NOTICED A VERY STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. AFTER HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AFTER FILLING MY TANK ABOUT 3 TIMES I DECIDED TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON THE ISSUE. WITH NOT MUCH SEARCHING I FOUND A FLOOD OF COMPLAINTS FROM MERCEDES OWNERS CLAIMING THE EXACT SAME ISSUES. FROM WHAT I HAVE GATHERED IT SOUNDS LIKE ITS A SAFETY CONCERN AND IS A DESIGN FLAW. *TR
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC; SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS; TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
MERCEDES: THE LIMITED WARRANTY ON THE SBC HYDRAULIC UNIT FOR MODELS 211, MODEL 219 AND MODELS 230 WAS EXTENDED FROM THE ORIGINAL 4 YEARS/50,000 MILES TO 10 YEARS WITH NO MILEAGE LIMITATION. THE SBC HYDRAULIC UNIT EXTENDED LIMITED WARRANTY APPLIES TO ALL CONDITIONS THAT JUSTIFY THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SBC HYDRAULIC UNIT UNDER THE STANDARD WARRANTY TERMS AND CONDITIONS. *PE
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
MERCEDES-BENZ: MODEL 211.026, 065, 070, 076, 082, 083, 265, 276, 282, 283 (E-CLASS). VIN A564853 AND X161341; EQUIPPED WITH BI-XENON AND CURVE ILLUMINATION. CURVE ILLUMINATION NONFUNCTIONAL. *PE
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BACK UP LIGHTS; EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
MERCEDES BENZ: MODEL 211.026, 056, 065, 070, 072, 076, 077, 082, 083, 087, 090, 256, 265, 276, 277, 282, 283, 287 EQUIPPED WITH OPTION CODE 615 (BI-XENON). HEADLAMP RANGE ADJUSTMENT NONFUNCTIONAL WITH DTC CODES 9010, 9011, 9012, 9013 OR 9024 (UP TO VIN B111276); PARKING LIGHT LED NONFUNCTIONAL (UP TO VIN B100720). *PE
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.