AI Damage1989 Mercedes-Benz 300E: common problems
Owners of the 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300E filed 11 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 11
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 36% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 18% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 18% of all complaints
- 4 Engine 9% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel system 9% of all complaints
- 6 Powertrain 9% of all complaints
- 7 Seat belts 9% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 9% of all complaints
- Air bags: 4 complaints (36% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 2 complaints (18% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 2 complaints (18% of all).
- Engine: 1 complaints (9% of all).
- Fuel system: 1 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 11 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 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.
When engine cuts off power steering no longer functions (very upsetting while turning which is usually when it cuts off). Have taken it to private shop and mercedes dealer but nothing resolved the issue. Car is driven rarely now due to this issue and issue is still active in car.
Sudden acceleration . A 1989 mercedes benz 300e with around 158,900 miles. Since the past 6 weeks has been exhibiting the apparently hard to proof case of sudden acceleration. The first occurrence was while driving to work on highway 101.
Vehicle intermittently stalled while driving down an incline or slowing down to a stop position. Vehicle had been to the repair shop on five separate occasions, and at the dealer once, however, and neither of them could resolve this problem. When turning on the headlights the srs and abs light illuminate.
Passenger front wheel came off of vehicle while driving. (ohio traffic report) this incident occurred while driving on the highway.
Cruise control disengages by itself without driver assistance on an intermittent basis. Dealer has yet to be contacted. Please provide further details.
The airbag did not deploy -- I intended for the date shown to indicate when the dashboard light first came on.
While sitting at a stop air bag on the driver's deployed for no apparent reason. Vehicle was towed to the dealershp where the air bag was replaced. Please provide any further information.
The dash indicator restraint system light comes on and stays on, indicating a malfunction. Dealer says seat belts and air bag unit are defective. The control unit was replaced at 1350 plus labor. Please add vin#.
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 10,520 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 29% most complained about).
On average one model year of the 300E has 8 complaints (5 years in the data). This year has 11, above average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300E?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, engine and cooling, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 11. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (9%), headlights and tail lights (9%), seat belts (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300E?
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 1989 Mercedes-Benz 300E 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 1989 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.