AI DamageMercedes-Benz 211: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercedes-Benz 211 across 4 model years: 26 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 38% of all complaints
- 2 Fuel system 31% of all complaints
- 3 Fuel/propulsion system 23% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 4% of all complaints
- 5 Electronic stability control 4% of all complaints
- 6 Engine 4% of all complaints
- 7 Exterior lighting 4% of all complaints
- 8 Suspension 4% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 10 complaints (38% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel system: 8 complaints (31% of all).
- Fuel/propulsion system: 6 complaints (23% of all).
- Electrical system: 1 complaints (4% of all).
- Electronic stability control: 1 complaints (4% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 26 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 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 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 sbc pump already had been replaced and mercedes has not made any attempt to reimburse me, multiple areas of the wiring harness will crumble in your hand inside the engine compartment, the trunk had pinched wires shorting out and caught fire luckily I had been in the garage at that time to witness and put it out.
When I pushed my brake peddle I had what seemed to be no brakes and a red warning light came on the dash. I ran the car off on the grass to slow the car down. I had a green light and ran on the side street. This could have been a very dangerous situation.
Sbc brake failure almost causes accident. I was driving down a 2 lane highway at 60mph and stepped on the brakes. At the moment I stepped on the brakes the dashboard started to blink red and beeping with brake failure message and there was no noticeable brake power.
Strong smell of gasoline vapors in garage when vehicle has a full tank. Faint smell detectable in passenger compartment. Smell subsides when fuel tank level reaches 3/4 to 1/2 full.
While driving my vehicle, I began to notice a strong fuel odor inside my vehicle. I pulled over and checked to see if any fuel was leaking onto the ground. Nothing appeared to be leaking.
Strong smell of gasoline near left rear of vehicle when tank is filled. When tank gets to half full smell goes away.
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.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
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.