AI Damage1987 Mercedes-Benz 300: common problems
Owners of the 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300 filed 29 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and cooling and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 29
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Engine and cooling 24% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 21% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 14% of all complaints
- 4 Tires 10% of all complaints
- 5 Vehicle speed control 10% of all complaints
- 6 Child seat 3% of all complaints
- 7 Electrical system 3% of all complaints
- 8 Exterior lighting 3% of all complaints
- Engine and cooling: 7 complaints (24% of all).
- Air bags: 6 complaints (21% of all).
- Powertrain: 4 complaints (14% of all).
- Tires: 3 complaints (10% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 3 complaints (10% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 3 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- 3 L · diesel · turbo · 6 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 29 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and cooling | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Child seat | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 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 being hit from the front passenger side, the throttle stuck in a full throttle mode. The ignition switch did not stop the vehicle, which remained in full throttle mode after turning to the off position, and the brakes were impaired to the point that I could not overpower the acceleration, causing me to be forced…
While backing out of parking space, turn on ignition, applied brakes, shifted to reverse, vehicle suddenly accelerated, made loud sound, caused accident.
I was driving home from work (it's a ten mile drive one way) when the car started to go faster and faster until it reached about 110 mph. I couldn't get it to stop. I forced it to slow down enough to exit the freeway, leaving skid marks in the road, and was able to turn the car off.
As soon as the vehicle shifted out of park, it rolled backwards. The front passenger door hit the mother, and the 6 month fell from his mothers arms and fell to the ground, partially underneath the vehicle. The right front tire had rolled sufficiently to pinch the child between the road and the tire.
Cracks in the rear sub-frame the necessitated a $3,000 repair that mercedes-benz would not cover. It was recommended that I not drive the car until the repair was made. The piece in question was above the rear axle and supported the suspension and rear springs.
The blowout sounded like gunfire. I traveled another 50 yards to get to a safe area to change the tires. I am fortunate that this did not happen the day before when I was going 75mph on i10. Took the tire back to tiremax where it was purchased and they said that it is due to a road hazard.
Driving on interstate...airbag deployed, seat belts locked, caused injuries to left arm, pain up through arm and neck, bruises, and burns. Drove to mb on 5/30/06. They checked car out. Mb stated it was the front flex disc that broke and hit the senser to cause airbag and all safety features to lock up.
I was driving my 1987 mercedes 300e on the interstate, when suddenly the air bag deployed for no reason, injuring my left arm, burns and bruises from the airbag. Would like to know what I can do to settle this matter.
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 6,958 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 19% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 300 has 9 complaints (22 years in the data). This year has 29, above average.
What to check before buying
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine and cooling, air bags, powertrain. Total complaints: 29. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (17%), loss of power / limp mode (3%), rollaway, parking brake (3%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300?
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 1987 Mercedes-Benz 300 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 1987 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 2026-11-05.