AI Damage1997 Mercedes-Benz 280: common problems
Owners of the 1997 Mercedes-Benz 280 filed 5 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and child seat. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 5
- involving a crash
- 1
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 40% of all complaints
- 2 Child seat 20% of all complaints
- 3 Steering 20% of all complaints
- 4 Vehicle speed control 20% of all complaints
- 5 Visibility 20% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 2 complaints (40% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Child seat: 1 complaints (20% of all).
- Steering: 1 complaints (20% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 1 complaints (20% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 1 complaints (20% of all).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Child seat | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 1 | 1 | 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.
While in reverse position, the vehicle took off in reverse about 20 mph, causing $3200 damages on the vehicle.
The mercedes benz 280 can not have a child car seat tether installed. The tethers are required to be sold with car seats after sept 99, but merceded will not install these.
Windshield wipers constantly bang when in use. Mercedes can't fix. On 2 occasions the windshield wipers froze and so did the fluid.
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 14,283 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 39% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 280 has 12 complaints (8 years in the data). This year has 5, below average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1997 Mercedes-Benz 280?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, child seat, steering. Total complaints: 5. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: transmission slipping (20%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1997 Mercedes-Benz 280?
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 1997 Mercedes-Benz 280 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 1997 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.