2005 Mercedes-Benz E500 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 2005 Mercedes-Benz E500, 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
- Fuel system7646.6%
- Brakes3823.3%
- Suspension106.1%
- Engine95.5%
- Electrical74.3%
- Airbags63.7%
- Powertrain (other)42.5%
- Driver assistance42.5%
- Visibility21.2%
- Seat belts21.2%
- Transmission21.2%
- Tires & wheels10.6%
- Interior & seats10.6%
- Other / unspecified10.6%
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
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
Car smells like gas. Constantly a couple machanic. Did some repairs. But there’s a small leak as well from a smoke test. Gas leaks in more than one area. Oil leaks everywhere. Evap leak didn’t pass smog. Then went to a smog station and repair. Check engine light back on again. I saw Mercedes had an extended warranty to avoid recalling several safety complaints. I got the car from a guy who never looked into recalls or extended warranty for these complaints. Please help me to get refunded what I payed so far with repairs on gas leaks. Also to repair the whole gas system. It is dangerously ongoing. I never got notified by Mercedes nor did the previous owner.
2005 e500 mercedes benz,after full tank of gas I filled. I noticed very strong gas inside my car and outside. It can catch on fired. cause cancer and lung issues.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
This is not about an accident. It's about the vehicle's condition. Precisely, about the brake service warning. Red warning with beeping on dashboard saying I need to bring it to workshop for service. My wife was driving this car when she felt something was wrong with the car and she brought it to her trustful mechanic for check up right away sameday That mechanic gave up to look any further suggesting a visit to MB dealer.
Per incident was back glass detached from window and broke all over the road and on the back of my car while driving. 2: Sbcc pump goes in and out admittedly and type of a no brake issue at all hard as a rock will not move car only has 180,000 miles on it and it’s been doing that since 140,000 miles Which did cause me to get in a minor accident on the right side of the car the passenger side where now I’ve had to replace a fender and still have problems because of it
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
2005 e500 mercedes benz,after full tank of gas I filled. I noticed very strong gas inside my car and outside. It can catch on fired. cause cancer and lung issues.
I was sold this car and because I did not know what the red "STOP CAR TOO LOW WARNING" meant when I was driving it home, I was not only scammed by the used car dealership with no recourse, but I also was tricked into driving this car while it was not supposed to be driven for safety, per the manual of the vehicle. I will include a picture of the safety message from the manual where it states, "HIGH PRIORITY MESSAGES APPEAR IN THE MULTIFUNCTION DISPLAY IN RED COLOR". and the STOP CAR TOO LOW message states very specific safety instructions that a reasonable person could not know. I am filing this recall complaint because how the system operates. I was sold this car while the struts were faulty and had already developed a leak and because the car was currently running the AIR COMPRESSOR was able to keep up with the leak during the test drive because a slow leak will only go back down after an extended time period which I believe the dealer knew because he asked me how much I was trying to spend and all of a sudden he pulled my car out of their shop telling me they just got the car and haven't put it out yet. Please help me. When I parked the vehicle at a Golf course parking lot during the test drive I was with my uncle, I did look up mechanic shops but because the car dealership was located in Farmington, MN there was no place feasibly close enough for me to have the vehicle properly inspected. The issue is the ride of the vehicle on the air suspension was perfect so there was no way of me knowing the car was not supposed to be driven over 50 mph which you will see on the safety instructions, and the vehicle could have caused an accident because there was no way of me knowing the suspension being too low could cause the wheels to rub on the wheel well if the car is too low. I even added more radiator coolant the next day when I was driving the car and the STOP CAR TOO LOW WARNING came on again. Over $5000 in repairs that I had to do because of safety, please help me.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
Car smells like gas. Constantly a couple machanic. Did some repairs. But there’s a small leak as well from a smoke test. Gas leaks in more than one area. Oil leaks everywhere. Evap leak didn’t pass smog. Then went to a smog station and repair. Check engine light back on again. I saw Mercedes had an extended warranty to avoid recalling several safety complaints. I got the car from a guy who never looked into recalls or extended warranty for these complaints. Please help me to get refunded what I payed so far with repairs on gas leaks. Also to repair the whole gas system. It is dangerously ongoing. I never got notified by Mercedes nor did the previous owner.
I was traveling at about 60mph and started to slow to turn off the highway. Suddenly a red brake warning light came on and it took tremendous pressure to slow the car down and I overshot the turn. Then the car had no power. I was 36 miles from my home. I limped at 5-20 mph to a friends house and had the car towed to my home. There was absolutely no warning of any kind of brake problem. The car was driving just fine before this happened. I believe it could have been a much worse situation had I been in any kind of traffic.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
Several times if the vehicle is not driven in a day or two the battery would be dead.I had to replace the battery twice in 2 years. I now receive a message (check battery) every time I start the vehicle. I bought a battery charger that I keep with me all the time. Once a month I put the vehicle on a battery charger, and if I’m not going to use it for a week or more,I put it on a trickle charger. I own 2 other vehicle and none of them need this type of treatment.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E500W, WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT THE BRAKES FAILED. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT DROVE THROUGH A STOP LIGHT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE EPC WARNING INDICATOR WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WAS ABLE TO RESUME DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE EPC UNIT FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 129,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
Had a minor accident no airbags deployed sitting in car I don’t know a month later something around that sitting in car key not in the ignition sitting in the driver seat when all of a sudden a big bang happened and blue out both side airbag by the sunroof sunroof. Was very loud and knocked my head sideways. Nothing had touch the car car hadn’t been hit car was sitting in the driveway with no ignition running no key in the ignition.
THE WARNING LIGHT INDICATING THAT THE AIRBAG MIGHT NOT DEPLOY IS ILLUMINATED. COULD THIS BE A MANUFRACTURING DEFECT?
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
I was traveling at about 60mph and started to slow to turn off the highway. Suddenly a red brake warning light came on and it took tremendous pressure to slow the car down and I overshot the turn. Then the car had no power. I was 36 miles from my home. I limped at 5-20 mph to a friends house and had the car towed to my home. There was absolutely no warning of any kind of brake problem. The car was driving just fine before this happened. I believe it could have been a much worse situation had I been in any kind of traffic.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ E500. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH AND APPLIED THE BRAKES HOWEVER, THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED AND CAUSED THE CONTACT TO MOMENTARILY LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE BRAKING POWER REDUCED WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED AND NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO ADVISED THAT THE SBC HYDRAULIC PUMP WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,981. UPDATED 01/23/2014 *BF ACCORDING TO THE INVOICE, BOTH FRONT BRAKE HOSES WERE DRY ROTTED AND CRACKED, THE LEFT OUTER AXLE BOOT WAS TORN AND LEAKING, THE SERPENTINE ENGINE BELT WAS BADLY WORN, AND WAS SPLITTING DOWN THE MIDDLE. THE ENGINE COVER GASKETS WERE LEAKING OIL, THE DRIVER'S SUN VISOR WAS DAMAGED AND WOULD NOT FOLD UP PROPERLY, THE TRANSMISSION PILOT BUSHING WAS LEAKING TRANSMISSION OIL INTO THE VEHICLE HARNESS. UPDATED 03/18/14 ..UPDATED 03/18/14 *BF *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
CODE: 4A30 ENGINE CONTROL MODULE NOT IDENTIFIED OR INCORRECT CONTROL MODULE. CODE: 54F0 CAN COMMUNICATION WITH CONTROL UNIT TRANSMISSION CONTROL IS SPORADICALLY DISTURBED. SAFETY ISSUE: I RECENTLY GOT OFF THE FREEWAY, CAME TO A STOP, AND THEN ATTEMPT TO PROCEED NORMALLY WITH THE VEHICLE NOW STUCK IN 5TH (OR WHATEVER THE SENSOR CHOOSES) GEAR, AND NO POWER STEERING- THERE IS A REASONABLE USER PRESUMPTION THAT THE CAR WOULD ACCELERATE NORMALLY AND BE ABLE TO SAFELY JOIN TRAFFIC....INSTEAD IT CRAWLS FORWARD AT A FEW MILES AN HOUR INTO POTENTIAL HARMS WAY WITH NO WAY TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE NORMALLY, THEREBY LEAVING THE DRIVER AND OUR CHILDREN IN DANGER. I SPEAK FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, AND WOULD NOT WISH THIS TERROR EXPERIENCE ON OUR WORST ENEMY. MERCEDES MONTVALE NJ WILL NOT PARTICIPATE ON FIXING THE CAUSE OF THIS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR
FUEL APPEARS TO BE LEAKING INSIDE THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT AS THERE IS AN EXTREMELY STRONG SMELL OF FUEL. CAR IS NOT RUNNING NORMALLY AND YOU CAN EVEN SMELL FUEL ON THE OUTSIDE. CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. CONCERN OF SUCH STRONG SMELL OF FUEL LEAKING INSIDE CAR IS RISK OF FIRE AND PERSONAL INJURY. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ E500. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WATER ENTERED THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE FROM THE SUNROOF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WATER ENTERED THE SUNROOF, ROLLED DOWN THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR AND INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE BATTERY AND SERVICE ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE AUXILIARY BATTERY, THE REAR BATTERY, AND THE ALTERNATOR WERE REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT THEN RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V918000 (VISIBILITY). (RBM OF ATLANTA, INC. 7640 ROSWELL RD, ATLANTA, GA 30350) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE PART FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ E500. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH AND APPLIED THE BRAKES HOWEVER, THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED AND CAUSED THE CONTACT TO MOMENTARILY LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE BRAKING POWER REDUCED WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED AND NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO ADVISED THAT THE SBC HYDRAULIC PUMP WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,981. UPDATED 01/23/2014 *BF ACCORDING TO THE INVOICE, BOTH FRONT BRAKE HOSES WERE DRY ROTTED AND CRACKED, THE LEFT OUTER AXLE BOOT WAS TORN AND LEAKING, THE SERPENTINE ENGINE BELT WAS BADLY WORN, AND WAS SPLITTING DOWN THE MIDDLE. THE ENGINE COVER GASKETS WERE LEAKING OIL, THE DRIVER'S SUN VISOR WAS DAMAGED AND WOULD NOT FOLD UP PROPERLY, THE TRANSMISSION PILOT BUSHING WAS LEAKING TRANSMISSION OIL INTO THE VEHICLE HARNESS. UPDATED 03/18/14 ..UPDATED 03/18/14 *BF *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
TAKATA RECALL.
I AM REFERENCING A MERCEDES BENZ SERVICE BULLETIN P-B-91.60/99E. THE CONTROL CLUSTER SHOWS SRS LIGHT BEING ILLUMINATED. I TOOK MY CAR INTO A MERCEDES DEALER AND PAID TO HAVE CARE ANALYZED. THE MECHANIC INDICATED MY CAR HAS THE FOLLOWING FAULT CODES: DTC 9103 (THE RESISTANCE VALUE IN THE IGNITION CIRCUIT CONTAINING COMPONENT R12/13 IS TOO HIGH) AND DTC 9123 (THE RESISTANCE VALUE IN THE IGNITION CIRCUIT CONTAINING COMPONENT R12/14 IS TOO HIGH). BOTH PERTAINING TO A FAULTY SCM HARNESS LOCATED ON THE STEERING COLUMN. I WAS TOLD THIS IS DANGEROUS AND THAT IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, MY AIRBAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY. I AM CONCERNED THAT IF MBUSA KNOWS THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE AND HAS EVEN GONE SO FAR AS TO MAKE A SERVICE KIT TO REPAIR HARNESS, WHY ARE THEY NOT RESPONSIBLE TO REPAIR THIS, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE EXTREME DANGER THIS IS POSING? I HAVE LOOKED INTO THE COST OF THE PARTS, RETAIL AND FOR AROUND $100 TO PURCHASE. THE DEALER WANTS OVER $700 FOR LABOR ALONE, PLUS ANOTHER $250 FOR PARTS. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE SAFEST CAR COMPANY IN THE WORLD AND I WOULD THINK THAT THIS WOULD BE SOMETHING THEY WOULD WANT TO ADDRESS QUICKLY. FOR THE AMOUNT OF MONEY I PAID FOR THIS VEHICLE, I BELIEVE I SHOULD BE ABLE TO TRUST THAT IT WILL PROTECT ME IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. I AM VERY AFRAID TO EVEN DRIVE THIS VEHICLE.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
AFTER COMING TO A STOP AT AN ENTRANCE TO A BUSY HIGHWAY, MY 2005 E500 JUST BARELY MOVED ONTO THE BUSY HIGHWAY, AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE TRANSMISSION WAS "STUCK" IN ONE OF THE HIGHER GEARS. I PULLED THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER, TURNED OFF THE IGNITION, AND RESTARTED IT. AFTER RESTARTING, IT WORKED NORMALLY. THIS HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES SINCE THEN. THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME SORT OF ELECTRICAL PROBLEM WITH THIS TRANSMISSION. THIS IS SEEMS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS WHEN TRYING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC FROM A STOP, OR CROSSING A BUSY INTERSECTION. A LITTLE BIT OF INVESTIGATIVE WORK HAS REVEALED THAT THIS IS VERY COMMON WITH THE MERCEDES 722.9 SEVEN SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. *TR
ON THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT, THE CAR GEAR WAS SHIFTED TO DRIVE, BUT RATHER THAN GOING FORWARD, IT PROCEEDED TO ROLL BACKWARDS ON THE INCLINE ON WHICH IT WAS PARKED AS IF IT WERE IN NEUTRAL. THE CAR WAS THEN TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALER AND THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THAT A CLIP IN THE GEAR BOX HAD BROKEN AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. *JB
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
DT: CONSUMER BOUGHT THIS NEW VEHICLE IN JULY OF 2004, IN FEBURARY 2005 HIT A SLIGHT BUMP AND EXPERIENCED A FLAT TIRE. SINCE THEN , HAD 3 MORE FLATS TIRES FROM VERY MINOR RIDGES IN THE ROAD. SPOKE WITH THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED TO REPLACE ONE TIRE WITH ORG TYPE TIRES, SPOKEN WITH MANUFACTURER AGAIN, AND THEY OFFERED TO REPLACE 2 TIRES WITH CONTIPRO CONTACT TIRES, AS LONG AS HE BOUGHT 2 TIRES AT RETAIL.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES-BENZ E500. THE CONTACT STATED THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL FUEL ODOR DETECTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO EURO AUTO CENTER (5180 VENICE BLVD LOS ANGELES, CA 90019, (323) 938-9888) TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE REAR SEATS WERE SOAKED IN FUEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 50,000. ## VIN PASSED ## MERCEDES-BENZ E500 2005 ##
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
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 MERCEDES BENZ E500. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH AND APPLIED THE BRAKES HOWEVER, THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED AND CAUSED THE CONTACT TO MOMENTARILY LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE BRAKING POWER REDUCED WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED AND NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE WAS LATER TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO ADVISED THAT THE SBC HYDRAULIC PUMP WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,981. UPDATED 01/23/2014 *BF ACCORDING TO THE INVOICE, BOTH FRONT BRAKE HOSES WERE DRY ROTTED AND CRACKED, THE LEFT OUTER AXLE BOOT WAS TORN AND LEAKING, THE SERPENTINE ENGINE BELT WAS BADLY WORN, AND WAS SPLITTING DOWN THE MIDDLE. THE ENGINE COVER GASKETS WERE LEAKING OIL, THE DRIVER'S SUN VISOR WAS DAMAGED AND WOULD NOT FOLD UP PROPERLY, THE TRANSMISSION PILOT BUSHING WAS LEAKING TRANSMISSION OIL INTO THE VEHICLE HARNESS. UPDATED 03/18/14 ..UPDATED 03/18/14 *BF *TR
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 .