AI DamageMercedes-Benz 202: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercedes-Benz 202 across 7 model years: 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 44% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 22% of all complaints
- 3 Engine 11% of all complaints
- 4 Exterior lighting 11% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel system 11% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 11% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 11% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 11% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 4 complaints (44% of all).
- Powertrain: 2 complaints (22% of all).
- Engine: 1 complaints (11% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (11% of all).
- Fuel system: 1 complaints (11% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 9 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 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 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.
The engine began to misfire then stalled leaving me on the highway. I finally restarted enough to move to side ramp where the tow truck was able to pick me up. Mechanic found multiple codes all relating to shorting out of deteriorating wiring harness.
The insulation of the engine wiring harness gets brittle and crumbles causing the engine to either not run properly or just quit running. This is a safety issue especially when you are on the road.
The insulation of the engine wiring harness gets brittle and crumbles causing the engine to either not run properly or just quit running. This is a safety issue especially when you are on the road.
The engine had several erratic failures such as misfiring, lack of power and eventually stopped to work at all during a heavy rain in the middle of the motorway. I checked if there were something wrong with the wirings between engine management components such as ignition coils, injectors, hfm, camshaft sensor, water…
Now at 99,000 check engine light comes on. Hooked the sds diagnostic machine found that codes are not irrelavent. Discovered that the wiring around the sensors were falling apart!! Wtf!! Ordered a new wiring harness and waiting and hopefully will fix the problemsssssss.
Safety recall 2006-08005, dealer in bowling green ky had no knowledge of this recall so temporary fixed the problem. Please contact this dealership or myself.
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.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Exterior lighting. Headlamps, leveling, sensors and mounts after a frontal hit.
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 2026-11-06.