AI DamageMercedes-Benz 129: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercedes-Benz 129 across 6 model years: 7 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
| Year | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) | YouTube repair videos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 57% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 14% of all complaints
- 3 Engine 14% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 14% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel/propulsion system 14% of all complaints
- 6 Visibility 14% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 4 complaints (57% of all).
- Air bags: 1 complaints (14% of all).
- Engine: 1 complaints (14% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (14% of all).
- Fuel/propulsion system: 1 complaints (14% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 7 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Passenger air bag deployed when the ignition key was turned on. The car was parked and the engine was off. There was no one in the passenger seat at the time of the deployment.
Asr light came on, came up to a red light on a hill, stopped , light turned green and when I attempted to accelerate the car had almost no power and had a very hard time getting through the light. The car was taken to the repair shop where they were unable to diagnose the problem.
The wiring harness, of which there are three, was constructed of an insulation case that is by design biodegradable. This was a material selection defect and is causing great expense and pain to owners of these cars. It is also drastically affecting resale value of the cars. Unusual for a car that cost over $100k new.
1993 mercedes benz sl600 wiring harness failure. Insulation on wiring became brittle and turned to dust. Shorts in wiring lead to trouble lights coming on. Engine misfires and shuts off. Engine wiring harness needs to be replaced.
My 1999 mercesdes benz engine stalled while I am driving. If I wait for a while , the engine would start again. After reading some complaints in the mbworld.org forum, I think that my car has problem with the crankshaft position sensor (cps).
The inside rearview mirror has inadequately sized spring clip posts resulting in easy breakage, with leaves the mirror very loose, distracting and unusable in daily driving.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other models of this make
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.