AI DamageMercedes-Benz 400E: problems, complaints, bulletins
Summary for the Mercedes-Benz 400E across 2 model years: 38 owner complaints and 0 NHTSA service bulletins, plus repair videos. Pick a year for details.
Model years
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 82% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 8% of all complaints
- 4 Engine 5% of all complaints
- 5 Electronic stability control 3% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel/propulsion system 3% of all complaints
- 7 Powertrain 3% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 3% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 31 complaints (82% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 3 complaints (8% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 3 complaints (8% of all).
- Engine: 2 complaints (5% of all).
- Electronic stability control: 1 complaints (3% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 38 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 31 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 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.
Burning smell coming from vehicle then smoke started going in through vents and seemed liked it was coming from under the car. The electrical wiring harness is creating mass and the car nearly went up in flames.
Has resulted in a lot of shorting issues, which resulted in air conditioning turning off, fan control off, engine heating up, blue and black smoke, and now smog failure. This is a known problem to mercedes and they need to fix it.
Wiring caught fire due to faulty wiring harness insulation, which is well documented. Yet, mercedes refuses to resolve/recall this issue. Wiring harness needs to be replaced.
The check engine light came on and before I could pull over there was smoke coming from under the hood. When I opened the hood the air cleaner assembly was melted through and some flame was still glowing in the driver side air filter.
1992 mercedes benz 400e. Consumer writes in regards to several recall notices rendered vehicle useless. Mercedes benz wrote to the consumer, stating there were no outstanding recall campaigns on the vehicle. The consumer referenced recall numbers, 92v083000 and 94v004000.
Faulty wiring in engine harness resulted in loss of power at speed on a major interstate, luckily at the time I was able to get off the road safely. It was determined that the car's charging system had been shorted out. Still waiting on other system tests. This is a known problem with certain mercedes.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- 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 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 2026-11-06.