AI Damage2005 Mercedes-Benz 211: common problems
Owners of the 2005 Mercedes-Benz 211 filed 13 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and fuel/propulsion system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 13
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 54% of all complaints
- 2 Fuel/propulsion system 23% of all complaints
- 3 Fuel system 23% of all complaints
- 4 Electronic stability control 8% of all complaints
- 5 Engine 8% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 7 complaints (54% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel/propulsion system: 3 complaints (23% of all).
- Fuel system: 3 complaints (23% of all).
- Electronic stability control: 1 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine: 1 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 13 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 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 1 | 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.
I filled the car up with gas and it set over night in front of house. Upon my returning to my car the next day a strong gas odor was outside on driver side.when I enter the car the odor was also strong. After doing some investigating I found this problem is common.
After filling the fuel tank and for several hundred miles after until the fuel level is used down to almost half full, there is s very strong smell of raw fuel coming from under the back seat and when parked, from underneath the car when it is parked especially in the garage.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 9,846 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 27% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 211 has 7 complaints (4 years in the data). This year has 13, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Electronic stability control. ABS/ESC sensors, steering angle, codes after suspension repair.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Mercedes-Benz 211?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, fuel/propulsion system, fuel system. Total complaints: 13. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: brake failure (31%), fuel system, fuel smell (23%), warning lights, check engine (15%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2005 Mercedes-Benz 211?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2005 Mercedes-Benz 211 from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2005 models
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.