AI DamageMercedes-Benz 208: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercedes-Benz 208 across 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2001 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 29% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 14% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 14% of all complaints
- 4 Exterior lighting 14% of all complaints
- 5 Structure 14% of all complaints
- 6 Tires 14% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 2 complaints (29% of all).
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (14% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 1 complaints (14% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (14% of all).
- Structure: 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 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.
After just getting my car from dealership 6 days prior, my wife and I were coming down a hill when my braking system started to malfunction and as we came to the bottom of the hill and costed to a stop the braking system completely shut down.
Sbc stop working call mbusa and they say the fixed that and the warranty is out wich this just now happened I didn't happened before 10 years now we have to pay on our own
Pixels in dash indications going out. Causing ambient temp and gear position to be unreadable.
I am the only person that drove the car so I knew I didn't do it. I thought this was part of wear and tear. However, the car was only 4 years old. Then, I thought maybe it was the sun. I was reading our local newspaper and realized that I was not the only one who had this problem.
I have had two complete sets of conti -touring contact eco plus conti seal (p225/60 r 18 99h ch95) on my 2004 chrysler 300 c auto in the last two years. The first set came with the car. The second set, which I had to replace due to dangerous tire wear and instability, has now gone bad. They must be replaced.
The rear tail lights on my 2003 mercedes benz slk continually go out. The lights are not burning out, but it appears the connections on the lights get to hot and burn up.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- 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.