2009 Mercedes-Benz E550 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 2009 Mercedes-Benz E550, 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
- Driver assistance133.3%
- Fuel system133.3%
- Other / unspecified133.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
UNINTENDED ACCELERATION OF MERCEDES BENZ E 350 4 MATIC 2009 MODEL BARELY 3 MONTHS OLD-JUMPED THE CURB WHILE PARKING AND HIT THE WALL 4 FT OVER THE CURB CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE MEDICAL OFFICE WALL AND THE RIGHT FRONT END OF THE CAR. LUCKILY NO ONE WAS HURT. REPORTED TO ALLSTATE CLAIMS, CAR REPAIRED AND INSPECTED BY BENZ DEALER. BOTH THE MB DEALER AND MB HEADQUARTER LETTER STATED THE CAR IS SAFE TO DRIVE. ACCORDING TO MERCEDES BENZ THE CAR CHECKED OUT FINE. THEY SENT ME A LETTER STATING THAT AS WELL. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
PLEASE REFERENCE NHTSA ACTION# PE12001. AFTER FILLING THE CAR WITH GASOLINE, THERE IS A VERY STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE. THE SMELL OF GASOLINE GOES AWAY AFTER USING ABOUT A 1/4 OF THE TANK. I AM AWARE THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD ISSUE WITH E CLASS (W211) VEHICLES AND MERCEDES BENZ HAS BEEN DENYING ANY RESPONSIBILITY. I HAVE NOT TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER YET AND WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO ALLOW THE NHTSA TO INSPECT MY VEHICLE. *TR
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
I WAS TRAVELING AT ABOUT 40 MILES PER HOUR ON A MAJOR STREET AND WENT OVER A SMALL POTHOLE. THIS RESULTED IN MAJOR FRACTURES ON BOTH OF THE PASSENGER'S SIDE WHEELS. ALL THE EQUIPMENT ON THIS CAR IS ORIGINAL FROM MERCEDES BENZ. THIS IS THE FIRST INCIDENT IN LATE 2010. RECENTLY, I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 35 TO 40 MILES PER HOUR AND WENT OVER A SMALL POTHOLE ON THE STREET THAT IS ABOUT 6 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND LESS THAN 2 INCHES IN DEPTH, AND RESULTED IN ANOTHER WHEEL FAILURE. I UNDERSTAND THAT POTHOLE DAMAGE IS A NORMAL PART OF WEAR AND TEAR. BUT THIS IS A MAJOR STREET THAT HAS TRAFFIC COUNT OF 75,000+ CAR PER DAY. IF MY CAR IS THIS EASILY DAMAGED IN A PERIOD OF 1 YEAR, I CAN'T EVEN IMAGING HOW MANY CARS WOULD GET DAMAGED ON THIS STRETCH OF ROAD. THEREFORE, I BELIEVE WHEEL FAILURES SUCH AS THIS AT RELATIVELY AVERAGE SPEED AND SMALL POTHOLES, CAN'T JUST BE A RESULT OF NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. I BELIEVE THIS IS EITHER DEFECTIVE DESIGN OR POOR PRODUCT QUALITY CONTROL. IF MY WHEELS GET DAMAGED AT THIS SPEED, I CAN'T IMAGE WHAT KIND OF DAMAGE OR SAFETY ISSUES IT WOULD CAUSE WHEN I'M TRAVELING ON FREEWAY AT HIGHER SPEED. *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 .